Post Manners

“It is, in fact, only the person who is afraid that someone may encroach upon their exceedingly insecure dignity, who shows neither courtesy nor consideration to any except those whom they consider it to their advantage to please.” Emily Post, Etiquette 1922 Society seems to have lost its way. There are so many things that…

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What Could Be Sew Hard?

I and three dear friends of mine got a rare opportunity this weekend. We got to visit an artist’s studio and work under her direction in her medium and style. Irmgard Geul is from the Netherlands where she was born and raised not far from Amsterdam.  Her art is both abstract and impressionistic and much…

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The Flower Next To Me

“A flower does not think of competing to the flower next to it. It just blooms.” Zen Shin In 1724, a German physicist living in the Dutch Republic proposed a comparative scale for measuring temperature. He based his scale on three points: the low point as the freezing temperature of an ammonium salt brine solution…

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When Practice Isn’t Practical

My son and I went to the gun range this weekend to practice. Some things are improved simply by repetition. Practicing or rehearsing increases skill and familiarity so that when the time comes to execute or perform, we are sharp and prepared. With shooting, we practice aiming and controlling our breathing by shooting single shots…

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My Prerogative

“Man is not, by nature, deserving of all that he wants. When we think that we are automatically entitled to something, that is when we start walking all over others to get it.” Criss Jami My greatest concern as I watch the events of this last election cycle unfold is not who is in the…

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Pulley Bones Of Life

Most of us have taken a turn with a friend or sibling trying to be the one who ends up with the large piece of the wishbone after a chicken dinner. The furcula (“little fork” in Latin) or wishbone is a forked bone found in birds and some other species of dinosaurs and is formed…

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Walking With Bears

I just spent a week in Glacier National Park, Montana. It is a rugged and beautiful land with towering mountain peaks thrusting from pine covered glacial valleys that follow crystal clear streams to pristine mountain lakes. The weather was perfect, getting pleasantly cold at night while the days were warm in the valleys and chilly…

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Other Stories

Many of you know that I keep a journal. I started journaling in high school because of the example of a dear friend. He went on to become an architect, but even in high school he would draw and sketch in his “book” alongside notes and lists. He once told me that he wrote anything…

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Follow The Leader

When I was little (and maybe not so little) we played a simple game called “Follow The Leader.” Maybe you have played it too. One person is picked as the “leader” and everyone else lines up and follows the leader around, mimicking whatever the leader does. It’s a simple game, but it has very important…

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Opportunity Knocks Softly

While watching Ford vs Ferrari with my wife and two youngest sons this past weekend, I was struck with the example of a management style that creates a toxic environment. If you are unfamiliar with the film, or the story it portrays, let me catch you up. In the mid-sixties, Henry Ford II decides to…

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