Every so often, I find myself wondering whether I am simply revisiting the same flourishing conversations humanity has been having for centuries or can something new be contributed to the journeys of so many over the centuries. As my mind tumbles around topics like wellness, character, vocation, flourishing, community engagement, intergenerational relationships, and rural health, …
Category: Health and Well-Being
Proximate But Alone
A generation ago, friendship happened naturally. Neighbors lingered on front porches, children played until the streetlights came on, and friendships were woven into the rhythms of everyday life. Today, many of us are more connected than ever, yet in this Paradoxical Life, feel more alone. Researchers have begun calling this phenomenon the Friendship Recession: a …
Friendship Recession
As I have mentioned before, for those of us serving in academia, the new year does not really begin in January. It begins in August, or, increasingly, sometime in July when campus parking lots begin filling up again. As I begin year three in Campbellsville, I find myself in a familiar season of reflection. Summer …
Flourishing and Unhurried
by Renee Collins, Ph.D., Abilene, Texas "For fast-paced people, silence is an act of defiance." - John Mark Comer “By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on …
Paradoxical Life
This post has sat in my unpublished folder for several years, not because I lacked resources, but because I had too many. At the time of writing, I have more than a dozen references for it, and if I delay any longer, that list will only continue to grow. The challenge is that the journey …
Powering Down
Although it is not my intention to be annoying, I recognize that some people may become frustrated by the delays they experience when communicating with me digitally. Perhaps there are times when I go too far in my attempts to tame the distractions of the digital world, yet I find myself continually searching for harmony: …
Blue Zones
There are times that I wish that I didn’t find correlating messages so frequently, because it generally means there is more reading ahead. And as much as I love reading and learning, I had really expected an Expiration Date for this flourishing topic; instead, it keeps going and going like that one battery company’s mascot! …
Expiration Dates
When teaching about food safety in nutrition, it is not uncommon for me to educate students on the differences between “buy by,” “use by,” or Expiration Dates. Although I do not advise it, the reality is that sometimes I allow these to be mere suggestions, not necessarily a hard line. There are exceptions though, most …
What’s Going Right
As I browsed the new books section of the local library, one title immediately caught my attention: What’s Going Right? As someone continually searching for appreciative frameworks, I was intrigued. The author’s name, Paul Conti, seemed familiar, so I picked it up and began reading. Before I even made it out of the introduction, I …
Let Them Play
When was the last time you watched a child simply play? Not in a uniform, not on a schedule, not under the watchful eye of coaches or officials—just playing for the sheer joy of it. Having never been an athlete or a parent myself, I may not fully grasp the tug‑of‑war adults feel in trying …
