Craig Ruvere

08Mar 2016 by CJ

Change oneself in order to change the world

Life & Living

"Everybody thinks of changing humanity, but nobody thinks of changing himself." - Leo Tolstoy I don’t care who you are, everyone could benefit from changing something about themselves – most notably how we interact and behave towards those around us. Now I’m not talking about drastic changes, which are often more of an evolutionary process than a simple change in personality. I’m talking about realistic changes we can apply in our daily lives – things which might seem trivial or insignificant, but I assure you have a great impact on the world around you and most definitely on yourself. Here are some thoughts: Be kind to others for unselfish reasons. Be a patient and captive listener. Check your ego at the door – always! Go out of your way to…

07Mar 2016 by CJ

Silence shouldn’t scare, but refresh you

Life & Living

“All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.” – Blaise Pascal I’ve known a great deal of people in my life, both living alone and living in a relationship, who can’t bare the quiet of silence. They immediately need to turn on the television, the radio or other noise making device in an effort to drown out the silence all around them. I’ve never understood this really. What’s wrong with sitting in silence every now and then? Why must there always be something to distract us? I often wonder if this fear of silence has been created by our fierce reliance on technology. We’re so used to being instantly gratified by computers and smartphones, which have become like another appendage, that many of…

06Mar 2016 by CJ

Just be happy – you have more reasons than you think

Generosity & Kindness, Life & Living

"Now and then it's good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy." - Guillaume Apollinaire I realized the other day that we spend so much time "trying" to be happy, that we forget about all the little things that already provide our lives with joy. Simple things like sitting on the back porch on a beautiful sunny day - lost in a sea of nothingness, as you allow yourself to just be happy in the wonders of nature. My wife and I did this just this morning over a cup of coffee and the sound of birds chirping in the background. Or watching a young child play superhero in the backyard - engulfed in a world of pretend, while entertaining their spirit of imagination. Watching my…

02Mar 2016 by CJ

The storms along the journey are guidelines

Life & Living

“Once the storm is over, you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain: When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about.” – Haruki Murakami There are times when I’m still disheartened by the way certain parts of my life have turned out. When we’re young, and filled with hope and optimism, we never dream of the hardships which might befall us. We just keep on living and believing that life will be as we imagine it inside our heads. But life doesn’t quite work out that way. Even what’s perceived to be the happiest of…

29Feb 2016 by CJ

A birthday lesson in your own backyard

Youth

"Not what we have but what we enjoy constitutes our abundance." - Epicurus This weekend, my neighbor's son celebrated his 5th birthday. Today, birthday celebrations for children five years and under are radically different then the occasions I celebrated decades ago. My parties consisted of a house-full of family and friends, snacks, a cake and maybe a few balloons and party favors. That was it. Now there are "party destinations" for children. You're no longer the "star" of your own birthday - you're sharing the day with dozens of other kids and their families doing the very same thing. To me those aren't the memories birthday celebrations should be all about. So when I saw my neighbor hanging balloons on his mailbox, blowing up a bouncy house in the backyard…