Bits of Life Missed Worth Exploring
Storytelling is an art, so we believe. Only screen or novel writers possess the skill. Perhaps advertisers and marketing experts. But never do we consider ourselves to be storytellers. But what happens when we make excuses, give our opinion, defend our belief, or craft a plan for action? Without any training, we tell a story for each of these. Stories we create to make ourselves look or feel good...
I have challenged myself to read a book that I would consider difficult reading. It is in the area of philosophy and theology. Areas that I do not have a lot of background. Forced to look up the meaning of words that I was not familiar with led me to a surprise. That common words can have a much deeper meaning than I thought. Communion, I thought, was the act of receiving the body and blood of...
To love or to forgive? Be patient or outspoken? Persist or to stay busy? Create or consume? Endure or change direction? Be responsible or to blame? Hide or be truthful? Share or avoid? Build or dream? We were never taught to choose or reflect. For we quickly cling to who we are. Making everything else an impossibility left for others to choose as the basis for the stories we tell ourselves. Can...
Often, I hear complaints from others about other people. This person is influenced by so and so. That person favors or protects Sarah. They always complain and see only the negative side of things. He never takes anything seriously. John doesn’t do in his personal life what he supports in our meetings at work. It’s hard for her to focus on two things at once. He gossips too much. They...
Nothing appears as a fact more than a number. If you see the number two, no one can dispute that it is the number two. Yet working with numbers can be difficult. They create confusion by inferring certainty while hiding their relationships necessary to discover the context and meaning of what they are stating. All numbers to have meaning represent some type of relationship. Your checking account...
Often we fantasize about something that we wish could magically appear in our lives. To weigh 20lbs lighter. Or have a bigger house. A better job. More vacation. Less work. And so on…… Over time, I found that the romance of a dream never matches the reality of what is needed to get there. The next step needed seems so boring, so dull, and so far away from a future that we really want...
In an recent interesting conversation, a person was sharing with me some of their regrets and what had stopped them from choosing differently in the moment. Fear & uncertainty were common threads through all of them. A different situation poses a different restraint. When asking a person to walk with me for a mile, their answer quickly was “I can’t”. Their reasoning was they...
When asked to sing, most of us are embarrassed and don’t try. A library or place of worship signals us to be quiet. Seeing a video where we speak makes us feel awkward. Not believing that we actually sound this way. Outside of singing in the shower or when alone in a car, the only place where we enjoy hearing our voice is when we are with others. No matter if it is small talk between two...