10Apr 2013 by CJ

Kids do still ride their bikes

Life & Living, Youth
As a young boy, I used to love riding my fire engine red Huffy bicycle all the way to the top of my block – okay, I had to push it up the last ten feet or so. Then once I caught my breath, I’d go into the middle of the street and start peddling as fast as I could until I could lift my feet off the pedals and gravity took over. I can still remember that exhilarating feeling of having your body cut through the air with the greatest of ease – not a care in the world. That was a long time ago. You don’t see many kids riding bikes or playing outside anymore. I guess they’re too busy playing with their computers and cell phones to…
Read More
01Apr 2013 by CJ

Life’s journey is a never ending classroom

Information & Education, Life & Living, Youth
The other day I came across this quote by Charlotte Joko Beck, which really made me think. “Life always gives us exactly the teacher we need at every moment. This includes every mosquito, every misfortune, every red light, every traffic jam, every obnoxious supervisor (or employee), every illness, every loss, every moment of joy or depression, every addiction, every piece of garbage, every breath. Every moment is the guru.” Interesting, right? “The teacher we need at every moment” - I don’t think I’ve ever thought about the journey of life in that way before, but looking back it makes total sense. I’ve learned invaluable lessons through the challenges life’s handed me over the years. And while they certainly were stressful and difficult to navigate at the time, I emerged with…
Read More
24Mar 2013 by CJ

Beauty comes in all sizes

Life & Living, Youth
For those of you who don’t know, classic soap operas “All My Children” and “One Life to Live” are being revived online starting April 29th. Both of the sudsy dramas were cancelled several years ago – at the chagrin of my wife who had been a lone-time fan of AMC (as she commonly refers to it). But as videos and photos began appearing in an effort to promote the new productions, my wife noticed something almost immediately. Many familiar faces were gone and in their place were a crop of young actors and actresses who look as though they just stepped out of the gym or a fashion show runway. It’s obvious the shows are trying to go after the younger generation in order to make these new offerings popular…
Read More
06Mar 2013 by CJ

Overcoming anxiety – finally!

Life & Living, Youth
It’s taken me years…literally…but I’m happy to say that I think I’ve finally overcome my ongoing battle with severe anxiety. Whenever I’m challenged by a new experience or situation, I often find myself riddled with anxiety – and many years ago it was enough to cripple me emotionally and physically. But thankfully today I have a better understanding of my anxiety – what triggers it and how to go about controlling it. So much of my own anxiety was tied to childhood insecurities I carried into adulthood – often leaving me to question my character and my abilities in this life. But recently I started a new chapter in my personal history book, and was pleasantly surprised by something that was missing. Yes, there were butterflies in my stomach over…
Read More
27Feb 2013 by CJ

Courage doesn’t always roar

Life & Living, Youth
I suspect few of us would classify ourselves as being “courageous” – me being one of them. I’ve never rescued anyone from the scene of an accident, or stood on the frontlines of battle during wartime. But then I began to wonder if acts of heroics were the only actions allowing someone to be classified as courageous? After doing a little digging, I came across this statement by Mary Anne Radmacher, which pretty much answered my question perfectly. “Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I'll try again tomorrow.” While I’m in no way discrediting the selfless individuals out there who risk their own lives for the protection of others, I know how difficult it can be sometimes to…
Read More