Next to the crinkling sound of a thin water bottle or witnessing someone being rude, a pet peeve of mine is hearing children (or adults for that matter) whine. It may be the high-pitched voice, or it may be the person’s disposition that makes me wince, but my initial reflex is to do just about …
Category: Flourishing
Emotional Adolescent
Perhaps, like me, when you see the term Emotional Adolescent, your mind conjures up memories of your own teenage years and how much turmoil seemed to exist on an hour-by-hour basis. In a small space of time, life goes from being abundant and flourishing to something more akin to Raging Seas. I’m grateful that my …
Borrow a Map
On this pilgrimage to discover what it means to Truly Flourish and live a life of meaning, the traveling imagery has arisen often, and there are notes all over my reading any time a reference like Blindspots, Detours, and Dirty Windshields appear. However, this week may have been a Defining Moment when I began my …
Fillers and Dippers
Have you ever taken the time to reflect on the influence you have on those around you? To genuinely ask yourself if you are a Filler or a Dipper? When I was introduced to Don Clifton’s theory of the Dipper and the Bucket, what you might recognize as a strengths-based approach to life, it provided …
Mentoring Communities
When my friend and colleague, Laci reached out on that cold January day a few years ago, she had no understanding at that time what her call was unleashing. Perhaps she regrets that call now, but since we are still chatting regularly, my hope is that she still finds our conversations as beneficial as I …
Wrinkle Free
Once upon a time I teased my mother when we would be out clothes shopping and one of the determining factors guiding her choice was whether or not it would require ironing after being laundered. Now, I am in danger of becoming the ideal candidate for those Progressive commercials about not becoming your parents. Admittedly, …
Fragile Faith
A week into the break between the spring and summer semesters and I’m confident that no one will ever employ me to be a domestic engineer. An exasperated, “You’re fired, Julie!” would have escaped my lips today if I’d had an alternative, because not only did a glass storage dish escape my grasp while dividing …
Follow and Fish
Do you remember ever playing the game Follow the Leader when you were a child? According to one site I viewed, game play is described as, “One player, the Leader, begins moving around with actions that the rest of the players must mimic. Anything — including wildly flailing his hands or furiously scratching his head …
Unhurried Life
“Hurry rushes toward the destination and fails to enjoy the journey."Alan Fadling, An Unhurried Life If you happen to know my dad very well, then perhaps we can agree on the fact that you likely have rarely, if ever, witnessed the man being in a hurry. The only circumstance where I recall my dad ever …
Strange Gifts
Do you possess a God-given talent that is so unique that some might call it a Strange Gift? There’s just this skill that comes so naturally to you that it is like breathing, but others are baffled, because for them, this quality proves so challenging. One Strange Gift bestowed upon me relates to organization, and …
Flourishing @ Life 