I use myself as an example a lot when I’m teaching. Naturally I know myself as well as anyone, and have been witness to what was silently going on in the background. I’ve picked myself apart numerous times, and I’ve found that no matter how different we all are, there are certain principles that […]
Are You a Proud Sufferer?
February 25, 2013 By 2 Comments
Sometimes we cling to the strangest things… including some weird and destructive ideas about ourselves that can be self-fulfilling. The most common of these is the pride that many of us take in our past suffering. I’ve done it myself many times, and so have you. There’s probably only a 50/50 chance that you’re […]
Who Are You, Really?
February 6, 2013 By Leave a Comment
As we go through life handing the bumps and bruises that we all get a taste of, there’s a learning curve. Of course, the very way that we do handle that stuff determines how tough it’s going to get. Learn the lesson, it gets easier. Keep doing the same stuff, and the lesson continues until we […]
2012: The End of the World?
October 13, 2012 By 2 Comments
Well, here we are. It’s 2012, and a scant two-months-plus until the dreaded 21st of December. Some folks are scared; some think it’s the Rapture and claim to be looking forward to the planet being washed clean of sin and, not inconsequentially, the sinners as well. (I forget…do the good guys get sucked up […]
Don’t Cut Your Nose Off!
October 6, 2012 By 2 Comments
When I was a kid the old folks actually used time-tested parables and expressions. Nowadays most of these come from TV shows (“No soup for you!”) and other popular media. But before TV took over our culture, those old chestnuts served well. “A stitch in time saves nine.” In other words, fix it now […]
It’s You, Not Them
September 15, 2012 By 6 Comments
Recently a pal of mine, Julie, wrote something about “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” Got me thinking. Of course it’s a cliche’…but cliches become cliches for a reason: because as often as not they’re true. Those of us with “differently-enabled” loved ones in our lives become painfully aware of this truism. Nothing […]
The Conformity of the Non-Conformist
April 14, 2012 By 2 Comments
One of the first things I realized (almost as soon as I had any conscious thoughts at all) was that I wasn’t like everyone else. I remember looking around me as a small child and thinking, “WTF? What is this place?” Or at least the baby equivalent of that. 🙂 Oh, I had a pretty good family. My parents […]
Labels and Book Covers
March 31, 2012 By 3 Comments
The way people label themselves has always fascinated me. For most of us it starts at a very young age… even in middle school you have the cool kids, the rich kids, the jocks, the nerds. Even the loners are a group…they just don’t congregate as such. Most of the time we choose these labels for ourselves; sometimes […]
Letting Go of the Pain; Stop Slapping Yourself!
March 22, 2012 By 9 Comments
I recently had a few conversations that provided stark evidence of what happens when we choose to keep ourselves in the “comfort” zone of pain. We can call this choice “subconscious”…but it’s really more properly an un-conscious reaction. It’s conditioning,, and it continues simply because we don’t take the time to examine and become aware […]
Phone Phobia: I Don’t Bite!
October 12, 2011 By 14 Comments
I was recently reminded of a phenomena that I’d best describe as “phone phobia“. It’s an irrational fear of speaking with strangers on the telephone; the roots of this fear are deep and subtle, yet it appears that many people are subject to it to some degree or another. I know whereof I speak. Growing up […]