Something important to consider when giving the gift of love is motive. People are motivated by many things, although not all intentions are pure. For this reason, we must examine our hearts to see what our true intentions are when we love others. The reasons for giving love are often born out of something within…
The Mask or the Person
The majority of us want to be liked by other people. We do things every day that aim to impress others. What exactly that takes depends on the other person. The process has side effects, positive or negative. Rather than do things that make us impressive, we look outwardly at whatever we think makes us…
Love on Purpose
When you hear the word love, what is the first thing that comes to mind? A spouse, child, or family member? How about a friend? Maybe it is not a person at all. People love food, things, and weekends too. It is arguable that the word is often misused. To me, one of the most…
Silence of a Critic, part 1
When I worked in the construction industry, one of my first projects was a building renovation. I was given instructions and then a sledgehammer. I beat the mess out of that place. I was eighteen years old at the time, and I thought to myself, people get paid for this? Awesome! I proceeded to learn…
Am I your Mirror?
Whenever we are interacting with others, how they treat us greatly impacts the way we treat them and vice versa. Not always, but for this reason people often resemble mirrors. I don’t think we try to be that way. But how we are treated greatly influences our behavior, so much that we are tempted to…
A Life of Excellence, part 10
This virus has brought our society to its knees in many ways. In my lifetime, I’ve never seen things come to this. The reaction that governments and businesses all over the world are taking to minimize the spread of this virus has left many in shock. I’ve also been surprised by the behavior of people,…
When All Day Goes Wrong
While driving down the road close to my house, I reached for my pocket and noticed my wallet was missing. Luckily, I was only a short distance from home, so I quickly turned around to go back and get it. Since wasting time is a one of my pet peeves, something as simple as forgetting…
Keep Away!
Social distancing has become popular since the spread of a new virus. I am accustomed to shaking hands with many people I know, either during a greeting or as a means of saying congratulations. I recently heard the announcement of someone who made plans to retire in the near future. After bumping into him later,…
For the Love of Toilet Paper
In all my life, I’ve not heard that many jokes about toilet paper. However, ninety-nine percent have been within the last two weeks. I’ve lived through snowstorms where people bought out certain shelves like milk, bread, and canned goods. Now I can say I’ve been through one hurricane season and see that people buy some…
Will I Break Today
The night before a trip with my family, we stayed at a hotel in a city near the cruise port. When we got up in the morning, we went down to the dining area for the continental breakfast. My father sat at the table on a chair with four wooden legs and a piece of…