human spirit ← Casual Fridays

Willful Suspension of Disbelief

Oct

2012

“Pfft. That’s not believable.” I have found myself saying this during a movie or play that just didn’t ring true. And if we’re honest with ourselves, at the beginning of ANY performance we could cross our arms and furrow our brows in absolute refusal to believe the artists’ portrayals. What a loss this would be. ...

Someone Like You

Mar

2012

Don’t worry, I’m not going to break into a song by Adele. This morning, as I read Seth Godin’s post on extending the narrative, I latched onto one of his comments. The socialite walks into the ski shop and buys a $3000 ski jacket she’ll wear once. Why? Not because she’ll stay warmer in it ...

A Vision of Possibility

Oct

2011

I have been reading Roz and Benjamin Zander’s FASCINATING book called The Art of Possibility. I have known of Benjamin Zander, conductor of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, through friends who have heard him speak and more recently by his famous TED talk. �Even though his presentation at TED is highly inspirational, I was not prepared ...

On Being Patronizing

Jun

2010

I rented and watched the movie The Soloist the other day. I want to buy it now. My wife asked me if I really thought we would watch the film enough to justify buying it. I don’t. I just want to support a good film and have it as a reminder of its message. This ...

The Race and The Chase

Dec

2009

Do you remember chasing anything as a kid? … chasing friends while playing tag. … chasing your pet dog as he was running away with the chew toy. … chasing your dad around the house, eventually falling in a heap on the couch and ending in a tickle fight. At some point, many of us ...

Embracing Embarrassment

Nov

2009

Fear of failure is overrated. We don’t care as much about failing as we care about being embarrassed. Picture yourself on a baseball team. If there wasn’t a chance of losing the game, it wouldn’t be nearly as exciting to play hardball. The mantra is, “Win as a team and lose as a team.” Still, ...

Living Among Critics 3

Oct

2008

Last night, I attended a meeting held by my daughter’s teacher. She was explaining the structure of the class and led us through some sample exercises she uses with the students. Occasionally, she called upon us parents for volunteers to read or give answers. I was stunned by the silence and awkward glances downward. The ...