Walking across Union’s campus during the summer, it’s not uncommon to encounter evidence that Fuge Camp is occurring, whether it’s viewing hundreds of young people engaged in outdoor recreation or seeing their small-group rooms decorated with the year’s theme. One day as I passed the Fuge store, where participants can purchase merchandise, I noticed a …
Category: Habits
Digital Boundaries
When I pull out my lawnmower and cut the grass for the first time of the season, it can sometimes be a challenge to clearly define where to stop on either side of my property, for there are no fences to prevent me from entering my neighbors’ grass. Once that first cut is made, it’s …
Habit of Attentiveness
“To thine own self be true.” Most of us find this a familiar phrase since it would be difficult to receive any education in the United States without an introduction to Shakespeare’s Hamlet. While, yes, I do agree self-care is an important part of cultivating well-being and living a flourishing life, today’s culture might be …
Pay Attention
Have you ever been at your wit’s end? This college professor who dearly adores her students is befuddled, bewildered, baffled, perplexed, and mystified about how to encourage students to Pay Attention to verbal instructions and information offered in class. Consider this scenario and how you might have prepared for the class activity: One week prior …
Quitting Social Media
I’m too stubborn to quit much of anything; however, I am wise enough to discern that sometimes there are moments to cease what you are attempting, reflect on where things are going, and assess a best strategy for moving forward. As a Gen Xer navigating the digital age, I am finding myself Pressing Pause more …
Paper or Plastic
Paper or Plastic? Do you recall a specific time and place when this inquiry became a part of your decision-making process at the grocery store? If this question was never asked of you and you’ve only known the plastic bags with handles that serve so well as small garbage-can liners, ask an older relative if …
Trivial Pursuit
For a knowledge junkie like me, the Christmas gift of the board game Trivial Pursuit from Uncle Gene and Aunt Sissie in 1984 might earn high rankings on my list of all-time memorable gifts. For years, earning those colored wedges from categories like entertainment or sports & leisure was an enjoyable way to engage in …
Fearfully and Wonderfully Made, Part 2
As I mentioned in Part 1, there is no great need for most of us to explain that humans are Wonderfully Made, with all the intricate systems that work together for the body to function, we can appreciate the creativity and craftsmanship involved. However, for me, the first part of this Psalm 139 passage is …
Screen Culture
A decade…ten years…if you have lived less than two decades, you may have little to add to this dialogue; nevertheless, I propose that even those remaining in their teens might offer some perspective on what changes they have observed over the last decade. For me, the differences between decades emerges from interactions with students, or …
Quiet Ego
“Develop a Quiet Ego. Our ego is like a kid trying to fit in during middle school. It just wants to be liked.” We might locate a bit of humor in this statement, especially if our middle school years are long behind us; and yet, no matter how many candles appear on our birthday cake …
Flourishing @ Life 