I recently came across this in my photo stream. Part photo, part iPad drawing, it's my original vision of the art studio I wanted to build as an addition to our home. This was exactly what I wanted; a little extra light-filled space added on to the home office already there. If I could have snapped my fingers and made it instantly materialize exactly like this, I would have been thrilled. What I ended up with looks almost nothing like this. So...does that make it a disappointment? Heck no! Here's how my studio addition turned out: It's a reminder to me that, as the poet Elizabeth …
You & Improved
Tinkering: The Missing Piece in Your Problem-Solving Toolkit
Imagine sitting at your kitchen table with a thousand puzzle pieces scattered before you. A small island of interconnected pieces has taken shape. They were easy—the only face in the whole scene. You reach for a piece that looks like it could be part of the person's hair. After rotating it and testing the fit a few times, you confirm it's not the right one. Then, angered that it didn't work, you toss the entire table over in a furious rage. With pieces flying in every direction, you swear off jigsaw puzzles forever, convince yourself you stink at them, and remind yourself that you always …
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Why You Need Water Balloons & a Wingman
Life is amazing. It is also hard. The war against Adultitis is a grueling one that will last your lifetime. But that shouldn't keep you from trying to soak it with water balloons. Your happiness depends on it. Now, you'll need two things in the fight against Adultitis: water balloons and a wingman. A Water Balloon is anything joyful that induces playfulness, laughter, merriment, or wonder. The most powerful ones appear frivolous, done for no particular reason other than fun. My late father-in-law Gary had a long fight with chronic pain. His faith …
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The “Must Be Nice” You Might Be Missing
It's the curse of every author. The exact millisecond you finally release a book from your tight grip and allow it to run free in the world, it happens. An anecdote comes your way that would have been perfect for it and you immediately think of seventeen other insights you should have added. When I wrote Must Be Nice, I didn't spend any time addressing the holidays, but boy, does that phrase pop up this time of year. And perhaps the bitter tone that accompanies our "must be nice" is a smidge more resentful. The holiday season looks different to everyone who …
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Two Questions to Help You Live a Wonder-Filled Life
A clear night sky is a thing of beauty, with millions of stars blinking silently overhead. It's a pity we rarely notice them. In an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm, Larry David is speaking with a receptionist at a law firm who has a spectacular view of the city behind her. "Beautiful view here! How long did it take you to take it for granted?" She replies, "Umm, not long I guess." He candidly admits, "It would take me about a day. Maybe less. Maybe half an hour. And I would never look out the window again." How quickly we take wonder for granted. This painting was …
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The Day I Accidentally Murdered My Bucket List
My Bucket List is dead, and I was the one who killed it. I didn't mean to do it...it just sort of happened. I was reviewing what went well this year and what didn't while on a personal retreat a few days before Thanksgiving. As usual, the inventory of highlights was way longer. It contained projects we completed, trips we took, improvements we made to the house, and accomplishments our kids achieved. Many were planned, but a significant number of the entries were unplanned opportunities and unexpected blessings. If you think about it, that's how much of life is. Many of our biggest …
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When to Be a Houseplant
Sometimes you just need to be a houseplant. This statement was shared by Shannon, a friend who had finally emerged from a hard season filled with challenging health issues. They often left her feeling depleted, without the energy to do much of anything. And so she gave herself permission to to be a houseplant. I laughed at the metaphor, calling to mind the times I've sunk deep into the couch and slipped into a vegetative stage. But she went on to note that although houseplants are stationary and require help from others to stay alive, they aren't doing nothing. They are very much …
Pay Attention To What You Pay Attention To
This just in: The world is a dumpster fire. 🔥 When we left for a recent trip to Hawaii, I made the decision to unplug. I'd monitor my business email every other day or so, but detach completely from following the news and my social media feeds. It was awesome. I felt present. My heartbeat slowed and my anxiety melted. It was so glorious, that I maintained the distance even after returning home. Oh, I've snuck a peek, but it's like opening an unmarked door to reveal a gigantic infinity room filled with fires, explosions, kung fu fights, screaming chimps throwing poop at evil …
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All Masterpieces Begin with Chunky Crayons
Imagine a young child proudly showing you a drawing she made. Using a handful of stubby crayons, you can make out what appear to be some trees, although they look more like wobbly circles sitting on top of crooked brown rectangles. There are some figures in the scene, too, but it's hard to tell exactly who they are supposed to be. Now imagine yourself rolling your eyes as you criticize the drawing, pointing out the clichĂ©d subject matter, the sloppy scribbles, and the unrealistic use of color. You matter-of-factly declare that it's just terrible—probably the worst drawing you've ever …
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Captured Memories, Lost Moments: The Art of Experiencing Life
I wanted to throw my phone into the raging river a thousand feet below. Its camera stubbornly refused to reflect the beauty I was seeing. It wasn't fitting everything in. The colors were off. I'd take a picture and it looked nothing like what unfolded before me. It was like a reporter only telling half the truth. You'd think I'd have learned my lesson. I experienced the same feeling when I visited the Grand Canyon. No camera on the face of the earth could sufficiently encapsulate the full grandeur of the feeling one has standing before it. I chuckled at the tourists with their tiny …
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