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…
Read More
27Jun 2016 by CJ

Gender stereotypes do not equal parenting

Youth
“There is a time in a boy’s life when the sweetness is pounded out of him; and tenderness, and the ability to show what he feels, is gone.” ― Norah Vincent Working in an office environment can be very enlightening. I’m often amazed at how much people are willing to reveal about themselves – especially regarding stereotypes, which continue to proliferate throughout society. I present the following example. While searching through a library of stock images, I came across a photo of a father and son (who was around 8 years old) walking on a golf course – see photo below. What I perhaps found most compelling about the image was how the father held on to his young son’s hand as they made their way to the next hole.…
Read More
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…
Read More
15Jun 2016 by CJ

Enabling others is not helping them

Youth
“You can't save everybody. In fact, there are days when I think you can't save anyone. Each person has to save himself first, then you can move in and help.”  ― Laurell K. Hamilton, Guilty Pleasures I suspect we all are acquainted with someone whose life just seems to be broken. They make one bad decision after another with relationships, finances, careers, you name it! But let me be clear about something – these are not necessarily bad people with no morals or kindness in their hearts. No - they’re just lost, and probably used to being continually enabled by someone else as a means to exist. Beverley Glazer (MA., ICCAC) writes, “There are very fuzzy boundaries between helping and enabling. If you’re enabling, you think that you’re helping, but what you’re…
Read More
08Jun 2016 by CJ

The news is forcing me to turn away from the world

Life & Living
“In order to understand the world, one has to turn away from it on occasion.” – Albert Camus Every day I turn to a handful of trusted news outlets, to find out what’s going on in the world. It’s something I started many years ago, after the realization that I needed to stay more informed and educated on society (economically and socially). But the more mature I become, the more jaded I grow – questioning the very motives of this daily practice. In Arthur C. Clarke’s 1968 science fiction novel, 2001: A Space Odyssey, he writes, “The more wonderful the means of communication, the more trivial, tawdry, or depressing its contents seemed to be.” I’m probably consuming more news than ever before, mainly because of its accessibility on the internet,…
Read More