Taking a Stand

I’m an expat living in Thailand, and I believe that this requires me to change certain behaviors that are normal and comfortable to me in order to be culturally sensitive.  When the Thai national anthem or the king’s song plays, everyone is supposed to stand (including foreigners) out of respect.  If I hear either song, [...]

Naked Lobster

Ever thought about how a lobster grows?  Because of its rigid shell, the larger it gets, the more uncomfortable the lobster becomes.  Eventually, it has to shed its old shell in order to grow a new, roomier model.  This process is repeated multiple times (as many as 25 times over the first 5-7 years of [...]

Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway

Once, when General George Patton was praised for his bravery in battle, he said, “Sir, I am not a brave man — the truth is, I am an utter craven coward.  I have never been within the sound of gunshot or in sight of battle in my whole life that I wasn’t so scared that [...]

The Elephant in the Room

Ever had the experience of having an “elephant in the room?”  It’s what happens when there is something big and disturbing that we all know about but won’t discuss.  We stress over it; we pretend it’s not there; we go to great lengths to maneuver around it… all because we don’t [...]

Like Pulling Teeth

My daughter’s front two teeth were loose once when she was six, but she wouldn’t let us pull them. They were blocking the progress of her adult teeth, and we were worried that they might cause the permanent teeth to come in incorrectly.

I tried offering different methods of pulling the teeth, from eating an apple [...]

Unsportsmanlike Conduct

Sara Tucholsky swung and connected.  It was a beauty!  All the way over the center-field fence!  Home run!
What made it even sweeter was that it was her first home run – ever!  And it happened at the end of a tough season in her senior year at Western Oregon University.  Prior to this swing, she [...]

The Wheelbarrow

Jean Francois Gravelet, “The Great Blondin,” was famous for his death-defying tightrope acts.   In 1859, he was the first person to walk the 1,100 feet (335 meters) across Niagara Falls.  Ever the showman, he performed the walk several different times, adding variety by walking the tightrope blindfolded, with his manager on his back, with his [...]

F.E.A.R.

When was the last time you did something really scary? The kind of scary that knots your stomach and weakens your knees. The kind of scary that makes you feel like everything is out of control.
Fear is an interesting emotion. It protects us from doing the really stupid stuff that would win [...]