The other day, Steve Rubel offered up the concept of life being a perpetual beta. For those of you non-tech nerds out there, "beta" is a concept used in the software industry to label the first version of a program to be released outside the organization or community that develops the software, for the purposes of evaluation and testing. (from Wikipedia) Simply put, if it's in beta mode, it ain't perfect. Life is in perpetual beta. What a great reminder to us all, especially those of us who struggle with the Adultitis-driven tendency to 1) consider ourselves perfect, 2) strive to be …
Maintain Perspective
A Time and Place for Everything
Today I had a very ironic experience. Jason and I hosted my parents this weekend. The weather was just gorgeous, so we decided a lunch down at The Pier would be great. It's a restaurant connected to The Edgewater hotel in Madison. The tables are right on the pier of Lake Mendota, Madison's largest lake. It was one of those days when you just soak in everything- the sunshine, the breeze, the conversation, the jumping fish, the ducks, the kayakers and even the families nearby (more on that soon...). As we sat under the blue and white umbrella and decided what we wanted for lunch, my mom …
Mr. Scaredypants on Change, Failure and Flowers
Change is freaking scary, no doubt about it. But you know what else is? Realizing that your time is almost up and thinking back on all the things you wish you would've done but didn't. (Because it would've required a big, freaking, scary change.) I recently reconnected with an old college friend. After exchanging pleasantries about how life has gone since we graduated, she asked me an interesting question. It went something like this: You mentioned that your career (and probably life in general) was scary at times. I would like to know what it is that scared you and how you dealt with …
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This One’s for the Grads
It's graduation time again. My release date was eight years ago -- gosh how time flies! For the seniors grabbing their college diploma, it's that weird time of life where idealism mixes with reality. The ratio of the two tends to vary with each person. On one hand, you are finally on your own, and hopefully, you're at the doorstep of what you hope to be a career you've always dreamed about. On the other hand, you're feeling the pressure of actually being on your own (now the bills all come in your name!), and may be eager to jump at the first opportunity that offers you a steady paycheck …
Why Kids See 20/20 But You Need Glasses
I got my first pair of glasses in eighth grade. "Oh great," I remember thinking. "Now I'm going to be one of those people." I figured the least I could do was select a style that would be cool. For some reason, I thought big brown frames with lenses the size of dinner plates fit the bill. Since then, I've gone through quite a bit of frames, including the horribly bad clear plastic cheapos that were the best of the worst in an emergency late night mall trip. I busted lots of frames over the years. I attributed it to my aggressive, living-on-the-edge lifestyle, but it probably had more to …
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Being Productive (and mean)
My husband recently challenged me to answer the question, “what is the secret to being productive?” This meme was started by Ben Yoskovitz. Jason shared his childlike secrets to productivity. My answer: discipline (aka being mean). Do I have Adultitis? You be the judge. When I taught Kindergarten I had to be mean sometimes. I'm sure parents can relate. It was hard at first, but then I just got used to it. ;) …
The Childlike Secret to Productivity
What do kids know about productivity? Aren't children, what with their sleepy heads and easily distractable attention spans, the epitome of UNproductivity? I guess it all depends on what productivity means to you. Kids actually give us a few clues about how to be really, purposefully productive. 1.) Plan. One important step to productivity is planning. If you wanna get stuff done, you gotta know what stuff you wanna get done. Simple, right? If you want to drive to Pittsburgh, but you've never been to Pittsburgh, chances are you're not going to just hop in your car and start driving. …
Trading the Cracker Jack Prizes for the Peanuts
What good is life if you can't slow down long enough to enjoy it once in a while? Kim and I had a fortunate opportunity come our way last Friday night. We spent the bulk of the day downtown at a café called Cosi, laptops open, writing, thinking, and dreaming. As we packed up to go home, a young woman (and fellow Mac user) sitting nearby offered us two free tickets to the Madison Symphony Orchestra. Face value was over sixty bucks each. She told us she wasn't able to use them and was hoping to find someone who could. What the heck, we thought. …
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Kiddie Cocktails Are Like, So Lame
My dad faxed me an article from the local paper. Here's an excerpt: I believe the kids in our generation are growing up too fast and not enjoying what they have left of their carefree fun times. I know there's the spirit of a 7-year-old in all of us, it's just the question of when to put that spirit away, if there really is a right or wrong time to do it. Obviously, this opening caught my eye. YES! There is a 7-year-old in all of as! YES! Kids DO grow up too fast! What high-ranking Adultitis-stricken grown-up has finally "matured" enough to see the value of embracing a childlike spirit and …
Listen
It's Good Friday. Jason and I continued our recent tradition of watching The Passion of the Christ this evening. It helps me put all of this in perspective. It's so hard to wrap my bird brain around the reality of this sacrifice most days. I know The Passion is criticized for being too graphic. For me, I need it to be graphic. It's like when a parent has given his child a warning against a certain behavior a couple of times and the child persists. Inevitably the parent needs to take the child, square her shoulders up to his, look her straight in the eyes and say, "Listen, that's …