03Nov 2016 by CJ

Alzheimer’s Awareness happens in November

Life & Living
Nothing inspires me more than well-crafted lyrics paired perfectly with a haunting melody. When She Loved Me is one of those songs. It was beautifully sung by Sarah McLachlan back in 1999, as part of the soundtrack for the movie Toy Story 2. When I first heard the song, it was clear by the circumstances of the film that a lonely “toy” was singing the song to the little girl she used to be inseparable with – only now she’s all grown up.  When taken in the context of the movie, you rarely assign the song any other possible meaning beyond what the film intended. But the other day the song popped up on my play list (somewhat randomly) and now 17 years later the song has come to mean…
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30Oct 2016 by CJ

Prejudice is taught, not instinctive

Youth
“Racism isn't born, folks, it's taught. I have a two-year-old son. You know what he hates? Naps! End of list.” - Denis Leary Many times parents overlook the reality that they are in fact their child’s very first teacher. Children are incredibly impressionable, and therefore they often adopt the qualities and behaviors of their parents – the good, and unfortunately the bad as well. Children are not born prejudice towards other races. The don’t enter this world prepared to be homophobic. And while they understand there are differences, gender stereotypes are a non-issue. What they are born with is the capacity to love, to be accepting and perhaps most importantly to recognize that being different is not always a bad thing. As I said, parents are their child’s first teacher,…
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25Oct 2016 by CJ

Money obsessions won’t lead to happiness

Life & Living
“People go on postponing everything that is meaningful. Tomorrow they will laugh; today, money has to be gathered... more money, more power, more things, more gadgets. Tomorrow they will love - today there is no time. But tomorrow never comes, and one day they find themselves burdened with all kinds of gadgets, burdened with money. They have come to the top of the ladder - and there is nowhere to go except to jump in a lake.” - Osho I’m often the first one to lecture others regarding materialism and society’s insatiable appetite for more money. Yet I’m embarrassed to admit that I haven’t fully practiced what I’ve preached. It was a reality recently brought to my attention by my wife, after she grew tired and frustrated of me judging my…
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23Oct 2016 by CJ

Election fraud – the tale of two ballots

Life & Living
“A vote is like a rifle: its usefulness depends upon the character of the user.”  - Theodore Roosevelt First, please save your hate mail. This post is in no way taking political sides in what I consider to be one of the most pathetic elections in American history. A subject making headlines of late is how the American election system is flawed. Many find such an accusation insulting and impossible in our technological advanced society. Truthfully, I never gave the subject much thought. That was until the other day. My coworker grew up in the state of Washington, and it was there where she first became a registered voter. About two years ago she moved to the state of Colorado, and went through the proper process of becoming a registered…
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18Oct 2016 by CJ

When I grow up – it’s more than just a job

Youth
One of the most challenging questions to ask yourself is, “What do I want to be when I grow up.” It’s not easily answered and often filled with more complexities than Google’s secretive algorithms for site rankings. After all, we’re talking about life – not just your life, but the lives of those who will ultimately be impacted by your decision both today and well into the future. It’s a hefty burden to bare, and a question which seems to pop up more frequently than one might assume. Jodi Weiss is a career strategist and author and had this to say on the subject: “What you don’t want to do, is waste your life. Wake up in your later years to realize that things you cared about most were not…
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