11Aug 2014 by CJ

Sometimes cleaning and organizing can lead to positive feelings overall

Generosity & Kindness, Life & Living
“Rest and peace should not be left until you're deceased. They are two vital life ingredients everybody needs and seeks.” ― Rasheed Ogunlaru Whenever I’m feeling a little overwhelmed there are two things I can rely on to help ease my restless mind. One is going for a long walk in a picturesque environment – regardless of the temperature. There’s just something about being outside with nature that has a profoundly calming effect on me. The second might come as a bit of a surprise to some of you, but we’re all different, right? I like to clean and organize. There’s something about each process, which seems like a chore to some, that helps to rejuvenate my spirit even on the darkest of days. Maybe I should go work for…
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08Aug 2014 by CJ

We all need nurturing to survive in this crazy world

Generosity & Kindness, Life & Living
When my wife and I moved from New Jersey to Colorado almost two months ago, we decided to use an auto transport service to deliver both vehicles to our new state. I had my doubts they’d arrive unscathed after seven days on an 18-wheel car carrier, but to my delight they arrived just as they left – though much, much dirtier. Before our cars were ever picked-up in New Jersey, my wife had what she considered a brilliant idea – to pack her beloved house plants in the back of each car. While I was more than ready to give them away, I entertained her idea (with much skepticism). I reminded her that for seven days they’d be left in a car, with no ventilation, to bake in the hot…
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16Jul 2014 by CJ

What makes a successful life has more to do with what you can’t see

Generosity & Kindness, Life & Living, Love & Relationships
It’s been three weeks since my wife and I permanently moved from New Jersey to Colorado. Man time goes fast! While the transition has been difficult and searching for new employment has been challenging, I’m starting to realize that I’ve been afforded a rather rare gift in life – the gift of time. Time to share ordinary, everyday moments with my beautiful wife and time to refocus my priorities for the next chapter in my life. Something I’ve been thinking a great deal about lately has been the word success. Webster defines success as “The fact of getting or achieving wealth, respect or fame; the correct or desired result of an attempt.” So many of us, myself included, spend so much of our time misguided by the word “success” and…
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08Jul 2014 by CJ

Returning to simpler times can bring you a new perspective

Generosity & Kindness, Life & Living
Today I’m doing something I haven’t done in years – write a blog by hand. I’m sitting at the dining room table armed with a black pen and a yellow lined note pad, actually finding it awkward to use the writing skills I learned back in the second grade. Writing has become one of those “things” that’s become passé in life. In today’s technological society, people don’t write in day planners and address books. They don’t sign greetings cards or compose letters to friends living across the country or across the globe. Many of us don’t even sign checks or credit card receipts any longer as such transactions are now funneled through those tiny handheld devices we’ve all become so reliant on – myself included. But writing this post (by…
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07Jul 2014 by CJ

Our hopes and dreams for tomorrow have no expiration date

Generosity & Kindness, Life & Living, Youth
As a little kid I liked to dream—big, whether it was believing my red-Huffy bicycle would one day turn into a Transformer or convincing myself that as an adult I’d be spending much of my time in Hollywood hosting “The Price is Right.” As I said, I liked to dream big. I still do sometimes. If we think back to our childhood, we all can remember when our dreams didn’t seem that far away from us. I remember spending countless hours in my basement pretending I was a rock star on my make believe stage. There I’d be holding my microphone (nothing more than the cardboard tube from the paper towel roll) belting out song after song from a collection of 45’s. Truthfully, I never really did sing as much…
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