18Aug 2014 by CJ

A lesson for all students on the first day of school

Information & Education, Life & Living, Youth
Isn’t it funny how time always seems to escape us? Aside from voting at my local school, I probably can count on one hand how many times I’ve stepped foot inside an educational institution since graduating college 17 years ago (yikes, it’s been that long?). School was never truly my forte – how ironic then that I find myself married to a high school teacher. As long as she doesn’t give me homework, we’re in good shape. And it’s because of my wife’s profession that I typically find myself walking the halls of the school she teaches in – there to lend a hand setting up her classroom before students fill her day with endless activity. It always amazes me how the interiors of schools always smell the same regardless…
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08May 2014 by CJ

Masculinity should be defined by MORE than just strength

Information & Education, Life & Living, Youth
Our society has long proclaimed what they believe comprises the measure of a man – courage and bravery; dominance and power; unfeeling and cold. These distinctions are nothing new however. From the dawn of the caveman to the ancient Romans to those roaming the earth this very day, men have continuously defined themselves by their strength, NOT their emotions. We see sensitivity and emotional expression as a flaw in the armor that protects the reputation of masculinity – often questioning any man who dances to the beat of a much different drum. I’ve personally spent years battling this stigma – always more in tune with my emotional side, rather than caring to support the antiquated beliefs of my gender. I’ve come to understand that the measure of one’s manhood goes…
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07May 2014 by CJ

Processed foods and rubber shoes should have nothing in common

Information & Education, Life & Living
Subway, one of the biggest bread makers in the world, recently removed a chemical from its bread recipe that’s typically used to increase elasticity in everything from yoga mats to rubber shoes to imitation leather. Soft drink giant Coca-Cola, following Pepsi’s lead, recently said it will begin removing brominated vegetable oil (BVO) from its drinks. BVO is a flame retardant often used on plastics and kids clothing. At times it’s almost unfathomable to think of how many chemical substances are allowed on the recipe cards of processed and fast foods. While the FDA might exist to protect the public’s health, I can’t help but wonder how they honestly believe examples like I’ve mentioned above will not negatively affect a person’s body over time. Are they simply naïve? Are they yet…
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06May 2014 by CJ

Today’s seeds bring tomorrows happiness

Information & Education, Life & Living
On a shelf in my home lives a collection of books my wife and I have collected over the years. They range from old fiction novels, to Jane Austin classics, to children and picture books which hold some sentimental meaning to both of us. On the very last shelf, tightly pressed between a pair of Funk & Wagnalls dictionaries and a large Bible my wife received from her grandfather is an old, tattered looking book. It’s about the size of a magazine, with a pale blue hard cover and duct tape holding its binding together. It’s my grandmother’s high school yearbook. It was June 13th, 1940. The Lyndhurst, New Jersey high school auditorium was filled with eager family and friends, all anticipating the upcoming ceremony scheduled to begin at 8:15…
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29Apr 2014 by CJ

Opportunities are everywhere if you know where to look

Information & Education, Life & Living, Youth
Life is a never-ending battleground of problems it seems. Day to day our lives are plagued with challenges we’re forced to navigate through – oftentimes with little or no knowledge of how to escape unscathed. But Joseph Sugarman once said something that definitely rings true for me. "Each problem has hidden in it an opportunity so powerful that it literally dwarfs the problem. The greatest success stories were created by people who recognized a problem and turned it into an opportunity." Joseph Sugarman Problems will never cease to exist in our lives. But that doesn’t mean they can’t lead us to a better place – force us to grow and break free of our comfort zone in ways we never imagined. Life is all about change; and change often brings…
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