You’ve seen them, no doubt. Down by a little pond in the front yard sit two Adirondack chairs, side by side. The perfect place for two people to relax, look out over the water, maybe notice a frog on the bank and a sparrow in the tree overhead. The settings for these two chairs are […]
Rest/Sabbath
“Exhaustion is Not a Status Symbol”
I’m a big fan of University of Houston professor Brené Brown. I first saw her on Ted Talks. Brown does research on vulnerability, and how it leads to a more fulfilling personal and professional life. In her column “On Leadership” at the Washington Post, Lillian Cunningham recently interviewed Brené Brown, who shares her thoughts on […]
Love and Work
It’s Labor Day weekend, and most people won’t think a thing about labor. Work is just what we do to put bread on the table or maintain a lifestyle. Like everything else, we tend to do it mindlessly. But it would be hard to overemphasize the importance of our labor. Freud said, “Love and work […]
Goodbye Routine
Routines, habits, daily rituals are important. Get up, make the coffee, feed the dog, get the paper, shower, leave for work. Habits are efficient. If you had to get up every morning and think, “Now, what should I do first?” you’d still be sitting on the edge of your bed at noon. The downside is, […]
Wildness is Necessity
If summer is come, June 21st, can vacation be far behind? Unless we’re in for a stay-cation, that means getting out of town, finding our way somewhere else. When we live in town and work in the city, we often head for someplace far from “civilization,” remote, wild. I always develop palpitations when I reach […]