Psychologists call it reciprocal determinism. It is the elegant idea that our environment is affected by our desires, fears and self-concept. We are either self empowered for good or self-defeating and heading for failure. It depends upon what we believe we can or cannot do. ...
He was very good. Actually he was better than good. He was the best. Eleven times he totally and completely licked all the peanut butter off the trap. He did not get caught until the twelfth time. Why that time? Who knows? Maybe the trap...
One of the rewards of aging is the ever-increasing inventory of memories. Housed inside our heads is a marvelous archive of people and places. The real joy of having memories is our ability to recall them in vivid color with surround sound. No matter where...
The sign on the front says, “Hope Center.” That is pretty much all that’s left other than a pile of burned rafters mixed in with the ashes of chairs, a piano, hymnbooks and a pulpit. The sign seems so ironic. But then again it could...
This evening one of my wife’s students came to class wearing a U C Berkeley sweat shirt. She told my wife she wore it especially for her because that is where my wife earned her doctorate. But, my wife asked, how did you know that? ...
One of my life’s great regrets is having leukemia and no longer being eligible to be an organ donor. As long as I can remember my driver’s license has indicated I want to be harvested of anything that would help another person. Even yet my...
I’m sure you have noticed that there are no questions anymore. Whenever we ask something it is always with a quickquestion. This is ironic because it takes longer to say quickquestion than just question. I guess it is symptomatic of our busy lives. Maybe these...
She likes to use a dust cloth and a can of Pledge. He likes to use an unused paintbrush. He says it is wonderful for getting all the dust out of the nooks and crannies. She thinks he is obsessive. He likes to think of...
I grew up thinking being nosey was somehow negative. I do understand it could mean someone is prying into our business but the dictionary also defines it as being inquisitive or curious. Yesterday my wife and I watched two of our granddaughters play their musical...
In many cities people regularly put cans, bottles and newspapers out on the curb for the recycle man. Recycling makes many of us feel good. Living in one of the most consumptive cultures the world has ever seen can be bothersome. Knowing our newspapers and...