I dug up this quote my brother sent me a long time ago. It is from the television show The Wonder Years, which depicted a gentle, nostalgic look at Baby Boom youth and adolescence. Growing up happens in a heartbeat. One day you're in diapers; the next day you're gone. But the memories of childhood stay with you for the long haul. …
Delight in the Little Things
I Love Creative People
The Leo Burnett Company web site is a perfect example of how to create an experience that makes the user "return to childhood." I found myself delighted by the unique and whimsical interface that stands out in a homogenized landscape of very boring "grown-up" web sites. Children are surprised every day by the unique experiences life provides. As adults, we get caught up in the idea that we've seen everything. In a world of ho-hum products and service, there is a big opportunity to be had by the ones that surprise their customers with a fresh perspective. …
A Happy Birthday
My family assembled this past weekend at my brother's new apartment here in Madison for my Dad's 52nd birthday party. We all chipped in for a brand new DVD player. His old one was out of commission because "someone" inadvertently put two DVDs in at once. DVD players don't like that. When the disgruntled DVD player refused to eject the discs, my Dad decided to take matters into his own hands and disassemble the thing. And as life will teach you, taking something apart is much easier than putting it back together. Thus, the need for the new DVD player. But I digress. …
Thanks Mom and Dad
I remember growing up in Peru, Illinois, and every night Mom would cook dinner and our whole family sat down for supper. My Mom's a pretty good cook, too (a fact that went unnoticed until I went to college.) Dad would ask us boys about our days and Mom made sure we ate our broccoli. At the time, it seemed pretty commonplace and mundane. Certainly not as remarkable as the A-Team, which was about to start so could I be excused, pleeeeaase? …
The Gooey Gray Gift
This morning as I was leaving church, I remembered that the priest had mentioned there would be cement trucks outside getting ready to pour the new sidewalks. As I was walking to my car, I noticed an older man 'park' himself about a foot from the area that would soon be freshly poured concrete. He looked on with great anticipation, as if it was 9:15 pm on the 4th of July. When I drove past in my car, I noticed a middle-aged man, holding his three-year-old, walking back towards the cement show, from his car. He must've thought they could just walk past without stopping, but the three-year-old …
Disney Has Adultitis
No one is safe from Adultitis. Not even the American entertainment company that was built on, and is synonymous with, the carefree and hope-filled spirit of childhood. An essay on SaveDisney.com sheds some light on Walt Disney and his original vision for his movies and his company: "I do not make films primarily for children. I make them for the child in all of us, whether he be six or sixty...In my work I try to reach and speak to that innocence, showing it the fun and joy of living; showing it that laughter is healthy; showing it that the human species, although happily ridiculous at times, …
Put Him in the Zoo
I encountered a super fun blog recently, scribbled by a preschool teacher of the male persuasion (he recently wrote about being called a Non-Traditional Figure by a mayor from China). Called Put Me in the Zoo, it's a spectacularly well-designed blog by Daniel Bigler with lots of fun (and funny) commentary, including some reviews (check out his take on Walter the Farting Dog). I take particular delight in the little things, like the piratey overtones, the graphical post titles, and the unique way he words things. Cool stuff.And don't miss his Toddler Property Laws. Classic. …
Oozing Gooey Grilled Cheese
My book promises that my prescription for Adultitis doesn't require a steady diet of chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese (I think that if kids had a hand in re-writing the food pyramid, it would probably have four food groups: chicken, macaroni, cheese, and sugar.) But I didn't say anything about grilled cheese. …
Slowing Down
Every morning I listen to the radio station, Life 102.5, WNWC in Madison and featured each day is a two minute segment called, 'Lighten Up,' by Ken Davis. Ken is a speaker, comedian, and inspirational communicator. He always manages to put a smile on my face at 6:20 a.m. and that's saying something. This morning he was speaking my language. He told a story about a six-year-old boy who was somehow taking an hour to walk home from school, a walk that should reasonably take him twenty minutes. Ken shares that for children the shortest distance between two points isn't a straight line. It is is …
8 Ways to Prevent a Cardiac Event
The Duke University Medical Center has published a report confirming that stress management appears to reduce the long-term chances of heart patients having another "cardiac event" and also provides an immediate and significant cost savings. The team found a financial benefit of stress management strategies within the first year of the study. Average costs for patients who utilized stress management were $1,228 per patient during the first year, as compared to $2,352 per patient for those who exercised and $4,523 per patient for those who received usual care. The medical center defines a …