If you hosted a Christmas dinner earlier this week, maybe you felt like collapsing afterward. I know I did, and my wife was the one who did most of the work. I took the day off before our get together and dedicated my time to whatever tasks she needed me to do. Doing so helped…
The phrase, “sharpen the saw” appeared in a best-selling book written over twenty years ago by Stephen Covey. His book was titled, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. It summarized seven practices or principles that if implemented, would generally yield healthier relationships. My library is filled with these kinds of books but to be…
I’ve been listening to a podcaster I really like. His name is Jocko Willink. He’s a decorated retired Navy Seal officer. He’s intense. (His podcast does contain some occasional “R rated” moments.) Seeing the picture of him and his co-host on his homepage makes it clear: you want him on your side. His most recent book,…
I’m not sure what to make of the slogan, “Jesus is the reason for the season.” I haven’t heard it in a long time- maybe its popularity has waned or I’m just not listening. I get that this Friday marks the beginning of Advent, the coming of Jesus in the church year. Still, I have…
I remember hearing a parent say something like, “You’re 18, and now you’re on your own. You’re an adult.” What the parent didn’t say, but implied, was “Now, I’m finally done; I’m free.” And yes, this was spoken by a one-time home school parent. Maybe spoken in frustration or during a time of stress, I…
I can still remember it. “Back in the day,” my teacher was in the front doing his part, talking. I was doing my part, day-dreaming. I wasn’t invested in what was going on. My grade point average in middle school hovered around a D+. I didn’t care. It doesn’t have to be this way. It’s…
How do your children feel when asked to do something they’ve never done before? How do you feel for that matter? What if you’re asked to do something you’ve never done before in front of an audience? Of course, it depends on what we’re being asked to do. Our thinking may range from “You’ve…
As you’re aware, there’s a big day coming up next week: Halloween. Hard to ignore. And for some of us, hard to resist. Growing up, Halloween was my second favorite holiday, right behind Christmas. For me, it was all about dressing up and canvasing the neighborhood with friends in pursuit of my favorite “food group,”…
In the 2006 movie comedy, Failure to Launch, the parents in the film are faced with an adult son who is living at home well past the time he should be. He hasn’t gone through the normal progressions that lead to healthy independence and the ability to manage life on his own. While the son…
At the end of this month, I’m back to school (literally) for some continuing education. I do this to maintain my certification as a part-time snowboard instructor at Mt. Hood Meadows. There’s a lot of similarity between the methods I use when teaching/tutoring here at Basic Skills and the way I instruct on the mountain. …