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...]
Tell Me Who You Walk With…
They say that children and teens are the most impressionable, but adults come in a close second. Peer pressure from adults is also more powerful, both positively and negatively than it is from children. This is why it's so important to walk with the right people at all times. Early on in my journey as an author and entrepreneur I heard the quote by Jim Rohn that has changed many people's lives. You may already be familiar with it and it goes like this: "You are the average of the five … [Read more...]
Why I Write Stories of My Childhood
For as long as I can remember I have been intrigued by stories from other people's childhood or young adult years. It fascinates me to no end to read or hear tales told from different perspectives by people living together during the same time and under similar experiences. I'm an only child and have no personal reference to how or why this might occur. I spent the impressionable part of my childhood living next door to a family with four children. Nathan was 12, Tory was 9, Larry was 6, and … [Read more...]