Craig Ruvere

18Apr 2013 by CJ

Birthdays are good for you

April 18th. It’s one of those dates on the calendar that will forever hold some significance for me. You see, April 18th is my birthday. It’s sad to say, but quite honestly it’s turned out to be just another day in the year – another reminder of just how quickly life is passing me by. I got up this morning and was dumfounded that I’m now (gasp!) 38 years old. How the hell did that happen?!?! I’m now in my late 30’s and so much of my life isn’t exactly how I dreamed it would be at this age. But then I came across this quote by Larry Lorenzoni which states, “Birthdays are good for you. Statistics show that the people who have the most live the longest.” It made…

17Apr 2013 by CJ

Revenge Isn’t Winning

Life & Living

I’m proud to yet again be featured on the wonderfully inspirational site Tinybuddha.com – my third time! The post is entitled “Get Past It Instead of Getting Even: Revenge Isn’t Winning.” This was a very difficult post for me to write as it’s incredibly personal, and something I’ve never written about or shared with a mass audience before. But there’s an important lesson to be pulled from my story, and I hope you all will benefit from it.

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…

05Apr 2013 by CJ

The power of a kind word

Generosity & Kindness

What does it mean when someone doesn’t say “good morning” to you? Now I’m not talking about strangers you pass by on the street, but people you see repeatedly in your everyday life be it at work, in school or any repetitious situation. While I may not always be a morning person, it’s just common courtesy to extend someone the pleasantry of saying “good morning” at the start of a new day. Isn’t it? I’ve always believed that you should do something because YOU want to do it, not because you’re looking for something in return. But after a while you do have to ask yourself, why should I go out of my way to show kindness and respect to someone who obviously doesn’t have the time to offer it…

03Apr 2013 by CJ

Remembering the elderly

Life & Living

Nursing facilities are unfortunately overflowing with human beings closing out the final chapter of their lives. They’re left with little in the way of dignity – a pale comparison to their younger selves. There’s no doubt it’s a sad reality for lives that have existed, triumphed and survived for some 80 or 90 years, but there’s little that can be done beyond making their last days as comfortable as possible. Seems terribly inadequate, but the human body can only bare so much. Admittedly, such facilities can be a rather depressing place to visit with any regularity. Watching a human life succumb to the aging process is not always pleasant – especially when it’s someone you love dearly. Some will say they simply cannot visit family members in such facilities –…