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Putting yourself last?
“Sometimes you have to put your own needs first, even if that doesn’t please others. You are not required to set yourself on fire to keep other people warm.” ~Shannon Olson When I was younger, I often placed the needs and wishes of others before my own — even in matters as simple as choosing where to go out for dinner. Everyone else, it seemed, had better ideas or bigger problems to solve than I had. Even when I was overbooked with parenting duties or exhausted after caring for an elderly parent, I tried to make time for everyone who asked for it. Maturity has given me permission to put…
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Halloween people
“Some people are born for Halloween, and some are just counting the days until Christmas.” ~Stephen Graham Jones ** Note: Due to a system glitch, my recent Life Lines posts were sent to subscribers without photos. To view photos and posts you’ve missed this week, visit the Life Lines website here. Every year, I eagerly await the start of the spooky season, and usually start decorating on October 1st. For me, Halloween always stirs a cauldron of happy childhood memories — making costumes with my mom and trick-or-treating with my dad. Year later, I walked door-to-door with my own child and his friends on magical Halloween nights. In recent years, my…
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What really scares us …
“I’m not afraid of werewolves or vampires or haunted hotels. I’m afraid of what human beings do to other real human beings.” ~Walter Jon Williams Spooky season is here. Driving through our neighborhood this month, I’ve noticed block after block of homes decked out with creative Halloween decorations. I get a little thrill every time I spot a porch aglow with orange and purple lights or a family of skeletons gathered on someone’s front lawn. And in my email, I’m getting long lists of films to watch this season. From the witchy Practical Magic to classic Alfred Hitchcock thrillers and John Carpenter’s Halloween, there’s something for everyone. As today’s timely…
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Point of view
“If you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view — until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” ~Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird Folks who lack empathy view everything solely from their own perspective. Putting their own needs first, they hear only what they want to hear. They rarely question if their actions are hurtful or offensive. They’re often convinced that their beliefs and opinions are the Universal Truth — and can’t understand why other people are sometimes at odds with…
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Does character matter?
“We live in a culture that teaches us to promote and advertise ourselves and to master the skills required for success, but that gives little encouragement to humility, sympathy, and honest self-confrontation, which are necessary for building character.” ~ David Brooks, The Road to Character Like others who grew up without social media, I wasn’t comfortable promoting myself — especially early in my career. Broadcasting my achievements in public felt awkward, even rude, and I still struggle with this issue. But today’s quote pushes beyond self-promotion and digs deeper. Author David Brooks writes a lot about the importance of character. And I can’t help but wonder, given our country’s savage political…
