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,…
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06Jun 2016 by CJ

Compassionate people will learn a lesson

Generosity & Kindness
“Although the days are busy and the workload is always growing, there are still those special moments when someone says or does something and you know you’ve made a difference in someone’s life.” - Diane McKenty, Nurse and Caregiver When a loved one is diagnosed with a debilitating and heart wrenching illness, we all process the reality differently. For some there’s incredible anger, while others go through long periods of denial. But eventually, your heart opens wide with immense compassion and unconditional love, when it becomes apparent that our time here on this earth is not infinite. Oftentimes when illness strikes, compassionate individuals will immerse themselves in information and education surrounding the situation. I suspect this is done in an effort to provide empathy towards our loved ones - so…
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02Jun 2016 by CJ

Appreciating what we take for granted

Generosity & Kindness
“We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.” - Thornton Wilder I recently vacationed to a tropical resort, where the only thing my wife and I did was relax, refocus and enjoy each other’s company – and the beautiful 85-degree temperatures. At the end of a busy day lounging around in the sun or cooling off in the pool, we often sat on our fourth floor balcony until it was time to go down for dinner. One particular evening, I found myself entranced by the goings-on happening below me. There were staff members rearranging lounge chairs and collecting towels, outdoor restaurants setting up tables and preparing for the evening rush and guests still trying to enjoy the last little bit…
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17May 2016 by CJ

Complain if you must, but it won’t change anything

Life & Living
“What you're supposed to do when you don't like a thing is change it. If you can't change it, change the way you think about it. Don't complain.” – Maya Angelou The definition of complain is to “express dissatisfaction or annoyance about a state of affairs or an event”. In my 41 years here on this planet, I don’t think I’ve yet met a person who didn’t know what it means to “complain” or how to do it. I truly believe it’s human nature to rant and rave about something which displeases us, and admittedly at times it shows how passionate we are towards the inequities of the world. But if all we do is complain, without ever trying to change anything, where’s the benefit to humanity or to ourselves? Eckhart…
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16May 2016 by CJ

Slow down and enjoy the moments of life

Life & Living
Today is May 16th and this is the first post I’ve written since April 27th. It’s not that I haven’t thought about writing something new, or reposting something still relevant – I just haven’t had the motivation or inspiration to do so of late. Whenever I find myself in this position, I’m quick to pass judgement on myself.  Feeling like a failure, I typically head to the computer and force myself to write something, which ultimately turns out to be nothing after an hour of writing and re-writing one paragraph. But this time it was different. This time I found myself saying “it’s okay – you write when you can.” I guess that’s the difference between a hobby and a job – a hobby is always there for you whenever…
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