Photo stories

  • Friendship and relationship advice,  Personal growth,  Photo stories

    Sincerity

    “Sincerity is an openness of heart. We find it in very few people. What we often see is only an artful pretense to win the confidence of others.” ~La Rochefoucauld, French philosopher There was a time when the phrase “I love you” was almost sacred. We saved it for rare and precious moments with lovers, spouses, our kids, and our closest friends. Today, “I love you” (or the Hollywood style, “Love you!”) is tossed around casually in text messages or shouted across parking lots and other public places — even to folks who haven’t fully earned our complete devotion. Love for humanity is a wonderful thing, and yes, sincere affection…

  • Anne Lamott,  Personal growth,  Photo stories

    How will you spend today?

    “Your problem is how you are going to spend this one odd and precious life you have been issued. Whether you’re going to spend it trying to look good and creating the illusion that you have power over people and circumstances, or whether you are going to taste it, enjoy it, and find out the truth about who you are.” ~Anne Lamott Psychologists and researchers keep sounding the alarm: Social media abuse can inhibit our creativity, foster unhealthy competition, make us overly self-conscious, stir feelings of inadequacy, and fuel aggression — just for starters. According to these experts, we make some dubious trade-offs when our time is consumed by social…

  • Personal growth,  Photo stories

    Expectations

    It’s never a bad idea to hold ourselves and others to higher standards. Striving for “the best” is a worthy goal. But extremely high (or unrealistic) expectations are sometimes followed by disappointment. One small example: How many times have you dined at a trendy new restaurant, only to end up disappointed when your meals fell short of the rave reviews you’d read? At the same time, if you expect more from other folks than they’re able to give, you’re bound to feel letdown at some point. Or, as Anne Lamott put it, “Expectations are resentments waiting to happen.” Sometimes what we want isn’t directly in line with what is available…

  • Health & wellbeing,  Personal growth,  Photo stories

    How do you spend your time?

    “When I find that I don’t have time for what matters, I will stop doing (and thinking about) things that don’t.” ~Marc and Angel Chernoff When you set your goals for the new year, you might wonder how you’ll find time to accomplish them. Whether you want to start a fitness routine, reboot your social life, or read a new novel every week, you have to make room in your schedule. I once read an article suggesting that we list and evaluate all the habits and routines that prevent us from accomplishing our goals. For instance: How many hours do you spend watching TV, shopping online, or checking social media? You’ve…

  • Civility and manners,  Communication,  Events & news,  Photo stories

    When silence is golden

    “Tune out the cheap shots people take at you. Don’t waste words on people who deserve your silence. Sometimes the most powerful thing you can say is nothing at all.” ~Angel Chernoff These days, I can barely stand to listen to political rhetoric, debates, or campaign speeches. Everyone has gotten so nasty; so cringe-worthy critical. Sometimes I’m tempted to turn away and risk being uninformed. But I know better. Often called “too sensitive,” I used to be devastated by criticism of any kind, whether it was directed at me or someone I cared about. Thanks to my freelance writing career, I’ve learned that constructive criticism — even rejection — can…