Do you ever have the feeling that this year, 2020 will be a "lost" year of your life? You're going through the motions of living. You know what needs to be done each day. You have enough - enough food, clothing, money - but something just isn't right. No, nothing is right. If you're feeling lost right now, know that you are not alone. With a deep sigh, you scroll through Facebook in search of a post you can connect with. Something that will make you laugh, or at least smile. Yes, there's one, … [Read more...]
We Promised Them a Future
We promised them a future, bright and shiny. It was to be one filled with more joy, more prosperity, and more of everything we didn't have growing up. We did everything we could to keep our promise to them every single day. We promised them the sun, the moon, and the planets and then the world exploded and shifted off its axis and it seems like nothing will ever be the same. So what happens now? There's a popular Chinese proverb that says: "The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. … [Read more...]
Taking the Next Logical Step
I continue to believe that everything we do in our lives is in preparation for something that will come in the future. There are dozens of examples of how this has manifested in my own life and in the lives of people around me and I will share a few with you here. But first let's examine what it means to always be taking the next logical step in your life experience. This concept was first introduced to me by an early mentor named Armand Morin. He is a logical thinker and attempted to turn … [Read more...]
Baby Nicky is Coming Home
It was a Saturday morning in June and I was riding my bike down the sidewalk on Biscayne Boulevard. The humidity had already made me sweat so much it felt like I had just got out of a swimming pool. Summers in Miami are known for being hot and humid, with rain showers popping up with no notice. As the drops got bigger and more frequent I heard the gently honking from a vehicle on the street beside me. I pulled over and looked up right away. "Beep beep." It was Nick, an older friend whom I had … [Read more...]
John B. Monlux: Man, Myth, or Legend?
It was the first day of school in September of 1986 and I was the most recent hire at John B. Monlux Elementary School in North Hollywood, California. Dressed in my new outfit I had ordered from the L.L. Bean catalogue I walked proudly through the gate and into the main office to sign my time card. This was the school I had wanted to work at since I had done a long term stint as a substitute in the spring. The other teachers and parents were friendly and the administrators had taken a liking … [Read more...]
The Quilt of My Life Has a Patch Named Ruth
Imagine, if you will that your life consists of a series of events and occurrences that work in unison and combination to help you become the person you are meant to be. You have choice and agency in much of what occurs, while other events are out of your control. For example, I chose to return to college at age 30 to earn a teaching credential so that I could have a life experience around teaching school. Seven years later I did not have the choice to avoid the life experience of having Stage 3 … [Read more...]
“You’ll Learn”…and When I Did I Increased My Efforts
My glasses had slipped out of the pocket in my purse when I got out of my car that morning and I saw one of the shiny brown end pieces (these are officially called the "temples") sticking out of the space between the passenger seat and the console. I slid in carefully and had them firmly in my hand before I closed the car door. A quick glance around assured me I was alone as I turned the key in the ignition. The engine emitted a soft whirring sound and the radio was playing a song from … [Read more...]
No Longer Arguing for My Limitations
Today is Labor Day in the United States. We are winding down our Labor Day Weekend celebrations and summer is coming unofficially to its end. With only 115 days left in this year of 2020 it's an excellent time to reflect and review in anticipation of what is to come in our near future. I can't remember when I first became aware of the first Monday in September as being a national holiday, but since I left the work force in 2006 and started my own business working online as an author and an … [Read more...]
Talk Less, Listen More, Change the World
Loquaciousness is not all it's cracked up to be. Yes, we love children who are naturally verbal because we know this is indicative of higher intelligence (intellectual, social, and emotional) and may give them a distinct advantage as they grow older. But more important, in my opinion is the ability to increase your listening skills as a way to improve your mind and increase your personal development. I refer to this as the "talk less, listen more, change the world" phenomenon. On a personal … [Read more...]
Sunday Morning …Just Before 3 AM
There had been something on the radio about volunteering in the community that caught my attention. I was driving home after a long day, first teaching school and then doing an appraisal on a tract home. I pulled over and wrote down the phone number on the notepad I kept in the glove compartment. I was familiar with the Big Brothers program even though I didn't know anyone involved personally. But when the announcer on the radio mentioned they needed Big Sisters for girls who were waiting for … [Read more...]