Stories of death have been haunting me lately, helping me view the world, better. This week I read two posts about people I know who lost loved ones, not to the pandemic, but tragically nonetheless. One lost a young wife, and the other, a baby who was stillborn. And while my eyes pored over the…More
Tag Archives: thinking
You Are Blessed Today
Each day is a blessing. If the virus has taught us anything it is to appreciate the fundamental things in life, the essential, like life itself. If you’re breathing, that’s good. It’s great. Your lungs work as they should. You’re not on a respirator fighting to catch a tiny breath, feeling like your drowning without…More
Finding Rest Right Now
We’re tired. Fighting a pandemic is exhausting. Even if you’re home alone or with kids or whatever, this is taking a lot more energy than we ever imagined it would. Who knew homeschooling was like herding cats and trying to teach them math. And then there’s the militaristic effort to sanitize everything—I mean everything—before it…More
Good Grieving
It’s good to grieve. We should. Because, you know, the new normal is too new and it shouldn’t be normal, and in general things just suck right now. I won’t visit my mom to avoid any chances of getting her sick. But I visited a friend while standing over six feet away from him and…More
This Is the Freedom You Can Hear
A choir of birds chirp outside my window each morning. And the melodies breathe a refreshing breeze into my soul that helps me face the day. It’s a simple sound, never ceasing to surprise and delight me, reminding me of something greater. Taking pleasure in the every-day moments, common yet majestic, can bring mirth even…More
Be More Unrealistic
“Let’s be realistic,” is a dream killing phrase, and I hate it. Don’t be realistic. Be foolish. Do that thing everyone says don’t do. Try that crazy idea that everyone says will fail. Go to that place everyone tells you not to go to. Failure is better than regret. With the former you learn. With…More
One Great Thing From Social Distancing
Strangers are waving at me, and I find myself waving back. They smile, and so do I. And you know what? It feels really good. In all of this we’re learning to appreciate strangers. There’s a longing for connection that we all have, especially when we’re as starved of it as we are these days.…More
Mistakes Are One of the Best Things You Can Make
One of the biggest mistakes you can make is making no mistake at all. Learning new skills, trying new things, growth, solving problems all involve some sort of failing. So don’t be afraid to make mistakes; be afraid of never making anything. See, to create, to get better at a craft, you start by making…More
How to Think When the Lockdowns Lift
The lockdowns will lift, likely soon. If they do, be patient. Don’t rush out to find normal. It’s not there. The virus still roams free. That means you shouldn’t. I won’t be seeing my mom, telling her it’s ok to go back to church. It’s not. But that doesn’t mean we can’t be optimistic. We…More
Experience we all need
“Experience” is just another word for making a lot of mistakes. Everyone prizes experience. So go get it. Try things. Break things. Do things. Don’t try to be perfect. Try to be effective. Contribute. Make things. Create value. And after a while. You can say that you’ve done this or that. You’ll be experienced.More
John Pa 