14Aug 2016 by CJ

Do you want more out of life?

Life & Living
I’m ashamed to admit that sometimes, regardless of my personal satisfaction, I always want more out of life. I live fairly simply, but on occasion I allow myself to get caught up in the spell of society – the one which manages to convince us all that we need to spend more and buy more in order to be relevant. But inevitably something pops up and reminds me of my good fortune – today it was the article below: FRANKLIN, Ohio -- A southwest Ohio police officer has befriended a 7-year-old boy police say was trying to sell a teddy bear to buy food. Many of us are incredibly fortunate, and yet far too often we fail to acknowledge the bounties in our possession. Even when we reach the pinnacle of…
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31Jul 2016 by CJ

Convenience – the luxury of time wasted

Life & Living
Convenience has been defined as, “the state of being able to proceed with something with little effort or difficulty”. We are perhaps living in the most progressive society yet. Our lives are full of advances and conveniences, which are squarely aimed at providing people with more time to do the things they never seem to have enough time to do. While a logical assumption on paper, I have yet to see how our modern day conveniences have truly afforded us more time. Convenience = Time Right? Parents these days seem to be running around in a continuous state of chaos and anxiety – a state I never remember my parents ever being in. Why has the extra time from our modern day conveniences not provided some relief? The elderly of…
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25Jul 2016 by CJ

Material possessions will never define WHO you are

Life & Living
“How good something is should never be determined by its cost, designer, origin, or its perceived value by others.” – Ashly Lorenzana The other day while perusing Motortrend’s website as I do on a daily basis, I came across a startling statistic. First of all, for those who don’t know, Motortrend is a popular automotive magazine, which first appeared in September 1949 and has been a favorite of mine for decades. But I digress. The post was about material possessions – more accurately the average transaction price of a new car or truck sold in American in April 2016. Are you sitting down? It was $33,560 – 2.6% higher than just a month earlier according to automotive researcher Kelly Blue Book. What is a car really? While fully aware of new…
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14Jul 2016 by CJ

Going home can be rewarding for the soul

Life & Living
“Coming back is the thing that enables you to see how all the dots in your life are connected, how one decision leads you to another, how one twist of fate, good or bad, brings you to a door that later takes you to another door, which aided by several detours--long hallways and unforeseen stairwells--eventually puts you in the place you are now.” – Ann Patchett In life there are no do-overs. Each day we must live with the consequences of our decisions – good or bad – and finds ways to accept that they’ve led us to where we are today. And while there are no do-overs in life, you can go back – home that is. Going Home... I spent the last week doing just that. I used to…
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22Jun 2016 by CJ

Choices come with responsibilities

Life & Living
“It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” ― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Some people long for the meaning of life – a complex question I’m unsure any human being can answer with great accuracy. But what I can answer for you is what life is often comprised of – a series of choices. Each and every day we’re bombarded with a series of circumstances, from varying environments, and it’s solely up to us to decide how best to respond. After 41 years of experience, I can tell you with great honesty that I haven’t always made the best choices. I believe some people possess the skill to logically look at a situation, extract the emotion, and…
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