Musings
Progress not Perfection
“Trying to design the perfect plan is the perfect recipe for disappointment.” —Patrick Lencioni We are not perfect. We are, in fact, irrational creatures who often act against our own best interests. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded a Nobel Prize in economics to Richard Thaler for his work in behavioral economics—or why we…
Read MorePut Your Behind in Your Past
This weekend I had the immeasurable pleasure of watching the fifth through eighth graders of Crossings Christian School perform Disney’s The Lion King Jr. It was a fantastic musical, and the kids did a great job. Some of the vocal and acting talent, given their young ages, was stunning. Additionally, my lovely daughter, who is…
Read MoreOh Say Can You See
O thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand Between their loved homes and the war’s desolation. Blest with vict’ry and peace, may the Heav’n rescued land Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation! Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just, And this be our motto: ‘In God…
Read MoreChange Becomes You
“One’s purpose is often hidden. Often we do not have the slightest idea what we are, until we become it.”12 That is author Kevin Tobia’s paraphrase of something Nietzsche wrote. I don’t completely agree, but it begs the larger question of what makes us, us. In his article titled “Change Becomes You,” Tobia raises some…
Read MoreIt’s Supposed to be Hard
“It’s supposed to be hard. If it wasn’t hard, everyone would do it. The hard is what makes it great.” —Tom Hanks in A League of Their Own Last Saturday, at 7:30 a.m., hundreds of ordinary people of all ages, shapes, and types got into Lake Hefner and started swimming in 3-foot waves whipped up…
Read MoreWorking Man
Efforts and courage are not enough without purpose and direction. John F. Kennedy My uncle Dusty (married to GOK’s eldest daughter, Barbara) sent me a link to a TED talk. I am always humbled when someone with Dusty’s life experience shares something me that impacted him. So, I was eager to watch and listen and…
Read More1 Out Of 100
“In all affairs, it’s a healthy thing now and then to hang a question mark on the things you have long taken for granted.” Bertrand Russell I often take for granted the blessings I enjoy. Since today is Labor Day I thought it fitting to remind myself how blessed I am to be living and…
Read MoreLeft Behind
Nobody showed you how to live? Me either Get a steady job, couple kids Act decent But I’ve been on a ten-speed thinking about the time as the sun sets Like, what would I do different if I hit rewind and did it again? These lyrics in a song by K.Flay called “Dreamers” had me…
Read MoreDoes It Hurt?
“Does it hurt?” “What?” “Dying.” That’s the beginning of a conversation between 13-year-old Jonah and an old man named Buddy who is dying from heart failure in a television series I was watching. Buddy replies, “Life hurts.” Yes, it does. I am struck by the irrationality of the behavior I see in the world all…
Read MoreThe Big Dipper
It has been a rough few weeks for my family, so I want to tell you a story. When I was young, we used to go to a place called Spring Lake Amusement Park. The park is gone now. It wasn’t in great shape when we went there, but it was still a magical place. There…
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