Family

- - - | written by Jason on 8/15/2021 | - - -

Why You Should Definitely Give Your Home a Name

Does your home have a name?There are so many things to love about Mexico, from the culture to the bright colors and the delicious food. We've twice been there as a family (Tulum and Cabo) and were delighted to discover that many of the homes had signs denoting their name.It's a charming little detail we like very much, and so when we bought our new home, we decided it needed a name, too. We settled on Casa de Whimsy. And just as when you give a mouse a cookie, he's going to ask for a glass of milk, if you give your house a name, you're going to need a sign to go with it.Ours hangs …

- - - | written by Jason on 11/15/2020 | - - -

‘Tis The Season to Tinker

As I write this, we’re still two weeks from Thanksgiving here in the United States, but I've already seen Christmas lights going up around town. Seems early to me, but maybe it springs from a collective yearning for the joy and nostalgia of the holidays, and the warm comfort it brings. I suspect it’s a desperate attempt to encourage 2020 to leave already.Whatever the reason, one thing is certain: our holidays will look different this year. Thanks to the pandemic, some of the ways we’re used to doing things just aren’t possible this year. For many, that is a source of great sadness.But it might …

- - - | written by Jason on 10/18/2020 | - - -

Home Is Where The Heart Is

One good thing about the COVID-19 pandemic keeping us closer to home is that it brought back family dinner for many people. If this is one of the things that remains as part of what people refer to as a “new normal,” then I am all for it.This painting, titled “Home Fries,” is a reminder that home is where the heart is. And the place our heart gets nourished most is around the dinner table.In the the last hundred years or so, we’ve seen technology bring about more advancements than the rest of human history combined. We’ve come a long way, baby.For the most part, these advancements have served …

- - - | written by Jason on 5/24/2020 | - - -

Make Way for Greatness: What Our Kids Really Need

The ganache wasn’t very ganachey. A rose kept falling off. And it was a little lopsided. But that didn’t make the cake my kids made for my anniversary any less a work of art, or a gift of love.It started as their desire to do something nice for our twentieth wedding anniversary. Since we’ve been binge-watching Kids Baking Championship, we gave them a challenge. They had to design and bake a cake that represented both Mom and Dad (a worthy challenge considering Kim and I fall on opposite ends of the dessert spectrum). It also needed to be at least two layers and be made from scratch. We …

- - - | written by Jason on 4/26/2020 | - - -

Why I Hope Things Don’t Get Back to Normal

It seems we are all yearning for a return to normal. I know what people mean when they say it – I say it myself, and what we have, right now, is not normal. But in truth, I really don’t want to return to normal.As we inch slowly closer to a resolution of this crisis, it might be worth asking a question that was posed when the shelter-in-place guidelines began: What is essential? We’ve been given a gift. This pause has been an unprecedented (anyone up for making that the official word of 2020?) opportunity to examine our lives and our society with a new perspective.For example, are all of …

- - - | written by Jason on 11/24/2019 | - - -

Time For S’Mores

The background of this painting comes from a photograph I took during a family trip to the Pacific Northwest. It captured a holy moment. You see, in our family, when the sun has taken its final bow for the day, and the moon is set to take the stage, it’s time for s’mores. I suppose you could have s’mores during afternoon tea, and of course there’s no rule against having them for breakfast, but it just doesn’t seem right. You may disagree with me on the proper time for s’mores, one thing is certain: making s'mores demands that you make time for s’mores. It’s not …

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- - - | written by Jason on 8/25/2019 | - - -

The Life-Changing Wisdom a Cheetah Knows That You Don’t

“Speed Racer” by Jason Kotecki. 30″ x 40″. Oil on canvas.Original is SOLD. Prints available here. The cheetah is known for being fast.Really fast.It's the fastest land mammal, achieving running speeds of up to 70 miles per hour. But what most people don't know is that the cheetah can’t maintain those speeds for long. In fact, a cheetah spends very little of its time running. It needs to recuperate and build up energy for the next hunt.Obviously, if a cheetah doesn’t run, it cannot eat. But if the cheetah doesn’t rest, it cannot run. If the cheetah spent all its time doing what it does …

- - - | written by Jason on 7/28/2019 | - - -

Messes Make the Best Memories

Eating a peach, in season, perfectly ripe, is pure magic. But also messy. Oh, sure, you can eat peaches before they’re ripe and they might drip less, but they’re not nearly as good. The best peaches are always messy. Now I’ll admit it: I prefer tidy. I like the structure of a good plan. I feel good when the dishes are done and the counter is cleared. I’m easily disturbed when piles stay piles for too long. Is that an Adultitis-fueled trait? Perhaps. But I do find that I am more present, relaxed, and creative when clutter and chaos are minimized. In general, I don’t think it’s a …

- - - | written by Jason on 3/24/2019 | - - -

Family First. Really?

My dad used to work at a lumberyard. He would bring estimating projects home and work on them at night at the dining room table. The overtime pay he earned helped my parents pay ahead on their mortgage. I’m sure there were about a million other things he would have rather been doing, but he spent many evenings at that dining room table, after long days at work, earning a little bit extra. Family first. I will never forget the little watch he kept close at hand, logging his hours. If one of his sons wandered into the dining room, hoping to chat, he’d stop what he was doing, turn off the …

- - - | written by Jason on 12/16/2018 | - - -

Thoughts On Missing Loved Ones During the Holidays

In my book Penguins Can’t Fly, I wrote about the story of a young man I knew who had leukemia, and how his family and friends moved up Christmas a few months so he’d be able to celebrate his favorite holiday one more time. Well, unbeknownst to me, one of my speaking colleagues was good friends with Kevin’s mom. One day, shortly after the book came out, my colleague read her the passage in my book. Through the tears, Kevin’s mother expressed her great joy in finally have something new to share about her son. “My friends are always telling me new things about their kids," she said. "How …