“We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.” ~ Añais Nin According to pioneering family therapist Virginia Satir, there are more than 250 ways to do the dishes. I just finished playing dish Jenga — that advanced skill developed by people without automatic dishwashers that[Read More…]

“Life is a test and this world a place of trial. Always the problems — or it may be the same problem — will be presented to every generation in different forms.” ~ Winston Churchill Despite what we may hope for during our school years, test-taking doesn’t end once we finish[Read More…]

“Memory is the diary that we all carry about with us.” ~ Oscar Wilde There’s a theory among people who study near-death experiences (NDEs) that your entire life flashes before your eyes in a sort of “life review” at the end of physical life. Enough people have reported something along[Read More…]

Unlike being a Boomer or a Gen-Xer or a Millennial — categories assigned by birth year — anyone can find themselves part of the “Sandwich Generation.” It’s the place middle-aged adults land when they’re caring for children or grandchildren while also helping aging parents. Sometimes that care is financial —[Read More…]

The last two weeks I’ve spent more time talking to my parents, aunt, uncle, and long-time family friends than I have in years. All the predictable excuses for that — and a few unusual ones — are to blame. I’ve heard stories about my dad’s Army service at Fort Carson[Read More…]

Opportunity or community. What’s the difference? By definition, these concepts are fundamentally different, yet they often intermingle. Opportunity asks, What can I gain? What can I achieve? Community asks, Who am I with? Who do I belong to? One is inherently self-focused; the other is inherently other-focused. Nearly every decision[Read More…]

“And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count; it’s the life in your years.”~ Unknown (often incorrectly attributed to Abraham Lincoln) Sometimes being an only child is great. This is not one of those times. I’m writing this from my mom’s hospital room in Rifle.[Read More…]

“Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people.  It will keep you insane your whole life.” ~ Anne Lamott  I’ve long told myself that the week we have a “perfect” paper will be the week I quit, and just about every week I think I’ve nailed[Read More…]

“It takes a village to convince one person to prepare their property for fire season — and sometimes that one person is all it takes to put the whole village at risk.” ~ The Hotshot Wake Up Back when the evening news was the news, I remember watching stories about[Read More…]

Do you ever look at someone and just think, “Why?”  Why did they make that decision? Why are they acting that way? There’s a reason we ask those questions. Motive matters. Motive, by definition, is “a reason for doing something, especially one that is hidden or not obvious.” In murder[Read More…]

“Income tax returns are the most imaginative fiction being written today.”~ Herman Wouk I can’t think of a single positive statement I’ve ever heard about taxes. It doesn’t matter if it’s sales taxes or income taxes or property taxes, the consensus has always been that taxes suck and we collectively[Read More…]