Anyone who believes this hyper-polarized, divided culture is a positive should choke a little when pledging allegiance to the flag. But how can we tone down the blistering rhetoric and return to something a little more tolerable? In days of yore there were some unspoken rules we followed in order[Read More…]

If you aren’t grateful for what you already have, what makes you think you would be happy with more? ~ Roy T. Bennett, Author It’s de rigeur to talk about gratitude during the month of November these days, but I’m doing it anyway. Practicing gratitude has the power to improve[Read More…]

Any person capable of angering you becomes your master; he can anger you only when you permit yourself to be disturbed by him. ~ Epictetus Epictetus was a Greek stoic philosopher. Born a slave in a wealthy household, he rose to prominence along other stoics like Marcus Aurelius and Seneca.[Read More…]

We’re familiar with the concept of a town having “character” when it comes to its architecture, its history, or its location. But what if we define character less in terms of infrastructure and more in terms of personality? For example, a town could be extraverted or introverted, inclusive or exclusive,[Read More…]

I’m watching my recently acquired cat — my first indoor feline in decades — weave around the dog’s legs like a ribbon. It took a few weeks, but they’ve become buddies. Buddies with boundaries, which the cat strictly enforces, but friends nonetheless. These are two species that don’t naturally get[Read More…]

The worst trouble I ever got in as a kid was for lying. The punishment for lying was far more severe than the punishment for sassing or fighting with the neighbor kid or getting home late. “You go to the same place for lying that you do for stealing,” my[Read More…]

However you feel about the British monarchy, the death of Queen Elizabeth II marks a historic milestone. Seventy years on the throne, through good times and bad, through personal, professional and political upheaval, is an accomplishment by any standard.  It is through the lens of history that we should view[Read More…]

Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world. ~ Desmond Tutu When people move into town one of the things we encourage them to do is to “get involved” in the community, often by volunteering with one[Read More…]

Begin to ask yourself, with lots of curiosity and little judgment, ‘why am I doing this?’ So much learning in that one practice. ~ Maurice Moe Mitchell There’s a lot to unpack in that little quote. Much of what we do on a daily basis is mechanical or habitual, whether[Read More…]