“Friends and good manners will carry you where money won’t go.” – Margaret Walker Over the years, the rules of etiquette have evolved with societal and technological advancements, but they are still as important today, as ever. The argument could be made they are even more important today with the overall decline in personal interaction. People […]
“Without the ability to end things, people stay stuck, never becoming who they are meant to be, never accomplishing all that their talents and abilities should afford them.” – Henry Cloud, Necessary Endings In terms of the universe, there is no such thing as a singular ending or beginning. To remind ourselves of this, we like […]
“I don’t think of all the misery but of the beauty that still remains.” – Anne Frank Life is hard. There is no multiple choice questionnaire upon birth where you can pick and choose your circumstances, biology, or time period. Many elements are completely out of our control. As the sobering quote points out, this does […]
“Another flaw in the human character is that everybody wants to build and nobody wants to do maintenance.” – Kurt Vonnegut There is no way to sugar coat it – maintenance can be expensive and boring. Analysis in the US shows the yearly maintenance costs of single-family homes from 2022 to 2023 have increased about 9% […]
“I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.” – Frank Herbert, Dune Rarely do people want to admit to being afraid. In many societies, being afraid is negatively viewed and the butt of jokes. But as we know, life is complex and experiencing fear is inevitable. This isn’t […]
“Moonlight drowns out all but the brightest stars.” – J. R. R. Tolkien The human race has been obsessed with the movement of the sun, moon, and stars since ancient times. Proof of this can be found in structures and monuments built in accordance with solstice and lunar phases. While the sun might be center stage, […]
“Fate whispers to the warrior ‘You cannot withstand the storm.’ The warrior whispers back, ‘I am the storm.’” – Unknown Nobody wants to be uncomfortable. Our bodies are designed against discomfort. If you have an itch, you scratch it. If a seat is uncomfortable, your body gives you signals to get up. This instinctual want has roots far […]
“If any man despises me, that is his problem. My only concern is not doing or saying anything deserving of contempt.” – Marcus Aurelius, Meditations If someone were to ask you “What do you stand for?”, would you be able to answer? This seemingly simple question opens a philosophical doorway into yourself. It’s intended to put […]
“Music produces a kind of pleasure which human nature cannot do without.” – Confucius Performing a quick search of how many bands have ever existed results in a vague answer of approximately “a ton”. A small refinement to the search of active bands pulls up millions of artists and multiple avenues for how to listen to […]
“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” – Walt Disney To live is to have things to do. The only time you will have nothing pending is when you’re dead. It’s easier to appreciate the existence of chores and tasks while keeping this fact in mind. As they are guaranteed, we’re […]