Life Balance
06Jun 2010
Recently, I went to our state high school track and field championship meet — it is a wonderful spectacle — thousands of student athletes, coaches, friends and family members in one stadium. Vibrant colors are displayed in the uniforms, supportive T-shirts and baseball caps, and tents (to keep the students out of the sun). Lots of sunshine, sunscreen and water
20Feb 2010
I have been reflecting on the role of quiet (or the lack of it) in our lives — from two different perspectives. Quiet in our daily life environments. I’m not sure we are aware of how much noise we live with. Not just the ambient noise around us — the air conditioner or heating fan, the hum of the refrigerator,
04Dec 2009
OK, first things first. I am a busy person. Currently, too busy. (I am writing this as I sit on a plane flying to Chicago for a business meeting.) So this is one of those entries where I call on the “psychologist’s privilege” of being able to expound on principles that I do not have implemented in my life yet.
21Nov 2009
We usually think of opposites in terms of a simple, “either-or” relationship — such as light and darkness, large and small, heavy and light. And these opposites exist on a single continuum, with the opposing characteristics being on the ends of the spectrum. But there are some relationships which are more complex, where there is more than one characteristic that
19Oct 2009
This past weekend I had the privilege of helping facilitate a board meeting for a family foundation. One of the goals of the meeting was to begin to more fully integrate the next generation (currently twentysomethings) into the foundation’s activities and financial giving over the coming years. Part of the process included looking at philanthropy through the lens of daily
02Aug 2009
Part of my job as a psychologist is to observe — observe patterns of behavior, be attune to my own thoughts and feelings, and to derive some potentially helpful information form patterns I see. In recent months and weeks, I have observed some factors in life that really wear people down — they are not really hidden but are often
09Feb 2009
Last night we had an interesting life experience — one of our neighbors’ home caught fire and burned to the ground. For those of you who don’t know, we live out in the country surrounded by trees. There are 8-10 homes in our area, with woods (currently very dry woods) in between homes. Around 11:30 p.m., my daughter, Lizz, came
23Nov 2008
Thanksgiving is upon us this week. And for most Americans, that means some sort of “get together” with family or friends. Some of us dread the time, while others anxiously look forward to it. Regardless of your past experiences, your plans for this year and accompanying mindset, I thought I would propose some proactive steps each of us can take
04Nov 2008
I just finished traveling from Wichita to San Francisco this Election Day and was reflecting on the stress of prior Election Nights. So I thought I’d give a few suggestions for each of us to manage our stress successfully. Manage your expectations. Regardless of your political affiliation or views, it is probable that not all of your desired results will
21Sep 2008
Major (repeated) upheaval in the financial markets. Hurricane Ike. Flooding across the Midwest. Concerns about who will be elected President (from both sides). Bombings in Pakistan. Political turmoil in Bolivia and Venezuela. The negative, worry-producing news keeps coming. What’s a person to do? Ignore it? Stress out? Drink more? (I heard a news report that beer and wine sales are