One thing I know about happiness is that it comes from the narrative of our life. The story we tell ourselves. But too often, we let others write that story for us. Unhappiness and discontent inevitably follow. The only person who can write the story of your life properly is you. In order to change our narrative to an authentic one, one we write ourselves, we must change our perspective, and thus our perceptions of our world. This is not a new idea. Plato explained it in “Allegory of the Cave” over 2,300 years ago. A small change in perception can mean a huge change in what we see. And changing how we see lets us write a new narrative. The Dalai Lama also explores this idea of the relationship between perception and a good life in his book The Art of Happiness (99¢ in the remainder bin . . . maybe you can buy happiness after all!).
“GED room, Mr. Parent speaking,” I said into the telephone receiver. “Mr. Parent, this is admin. We need you to go out and look at your car.” I didn’t recognize the voice but the request was troubling to say the least. My fears were reinforced by two different people who stopped me and said they […]
What Is It about Doors in My Life? Read More »
I love food. Exhibit A is my expanding waistline. Notice I didn’t say I like to eat . . . even though I do. No, I love food. I love everything about food. I like growing food. In late summer I’ve been known to picnic in my garden, washing fresh veg and drinking from the
How to Find Gratitude on Aisle Four Read More »
In one very real sense, Donald Trump’s inauguration this week represents a success story. We had eight years of a black president who didn’t get assassinated. Some people might think that is morbid. And some people might think that’s a very low bar for success. Some might even give the Secret Service all of the
“Why aren’t you eating your salad?” my father demanded. “I will,” I answered as I carefully mixed just the right amount of peas into a forkful of mashed potatoes that were seasoned with butter NOT gravy. Peas are disgusting, but mama makes me eat some anyways, both for my nutritional health and in hope that
At My Father’s Table Read More »
“Hey, howya doin?” my boss asked as we entered the building together. “Great,” I answered. “How was your holiday?” I asked. “Good,” she answered. “How about yours?” “Fantastic,” I answered. This conversation was repeated about a dozen times today with small variations. I’m sure it’s the same for many people when they return to work
Dinner Bells, Dinner Bells… Read More »
I am having serious problems with my dongle. This is a sentence my younger self never imagined saying in the future. Not that I envisioned myself in a flying car or wearing a jet pack, but I certainly didn’t predict having to talk to an Ethiopian tech support center about why my dongle isn’t dangling.