Category: Decision making
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A State of Grace
There are moments when I see reflections of my parents in me as there are moments when I see reflections of their father and me in my own children. It’s interesting that the characteristics I see in myself, and identify as coming from one of my parents, are usually the ones I would label as…
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One Speed
Since childhood, in truth I suspect since birth, I have been one of those people who only has one speed. Acceleration happens fast and deceleration doesn’t happen. It never has. I am happiest in motion, mentally and physically, and find it hard—if not impossible—to settle down in any respect. My mother’s most oft-repeated expression to…
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Achieving Grace
Everything in life is a choice. That’s a pretty definitive statement, isn’t it? And you might contend that things, often, seem to just happen. An illness, an accident, an unexpected turn of events in your personal or professional life. That’s true. Things do happen that we don’t plan or expect or want to have happen.…
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Do No Harm
I would imagine that we all know the phrase “First, do no harm.” It’s often attributed to the Hippocratic oath that medical students take. The phrase is actually not part of that oath but it stands on its own, still offering a watchword worth holding. The concept seems a simple one and, I would suspect,…
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Stealing Your Peace
Unsettling experiences—we all have them. Sometimes things just don’t go our way or, worse yet, surprise us in ways that might leave us saying “didn’t see that one coming.” You know those times, the ones we replay over and over in our heads, the ones that wake us up in the middle of the night,…
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New Year, Renewed Light
The changing of the year on the calendar is always one of those lines of demarcation—a chance to decide what we want to be different going forward. It is easy to cite the obvious targets. I will exercise more or eat better or get more sleep . . . That’s all great, especially if you…
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The Worst Enemy
I did an exercise in a class once, perhaps you have done it as well. If not, give it a try. Number 1 through 5 and write “If I didn’t have to do it perfectly, I would . . .” Then give yourself the time, and the honesty, to fill in those lines. How many…
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Don’t Leave
I was reading a brief blurb the other day about a celebrity couple who have been married for multiple decades, which, in today’s world, is often seen as some sort of feat. When asked the secret of their enduring relationship, the answer was the simple two words “Don’t leave.” Sounds pretty basic, doesn’t it? But…
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Decompressing
I long for the ability to decompress, to be able to take even a moment and let go of all the obligations and the stress, of the endless list of things that have to be done or worried about or figured out. I have, only half jokingly, said that I think I came from the…
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As If
It is easy to look at someone else’s life and think they’ve got it all figured out. It’s easy to think that everything works for them while nothing feels like it’s working for you. It’s easy, and maybe it’s human nature, but it’s wrong. Pretty much always wrong. I had a conversation this week with…
With a Full Heart 