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Off the beaten path
“The chains of habit are too weak to be felt until they are too strong to be broken.” ~Samuel Johnson Are you still following the same old paths and patterns that worked for a while — but aren’t serving you anymore? As creatures of habit, we often allow our routines to dictate how we spend our lives. We buy the same brand of coffee, eat at the same restaurants, follow the usual route with the dog, and wear the same outfits even though we have a closet stuffed with rarely worn clothing. And we wonder why the heck we’re bored with everything. Summer is a great time to shake things…
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Social Skills 101
“Talk to someone about themselves and they’ll listen for hours.” ~Dale Carnegie Years before Oprah made “life coach” a household term, my father followed the work of Dale Carnegie, one of America’s most prolific authors of self-improvement guides. Dad kept a well-thumbed copy of How to Win Friends and Influence People next to the wingback chair where he read nightly. Today, I believe Carnegie’s advice on how to be a great conversationalist and a thoughtful friend is among the best I’ve found. To read a column I wrote about this topic for The Oakland Press, please click here. Photo by Cindy La Ferle for MediaNews Group
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Love and liberty
“I love America. I love the world. Brotherhood and sisterhood have no borders for me. My heart orbits the Earth, and my love cannot be measured in longitude or latitude.” ~Terri Guillemets Wishing you all a safe and happy Fourth of July weekend!
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Who’s in the driver’s seat?
“I don’t want to be a passenger in my own life.” ~Diane Ackerman I love driving on the expressway, especially on beautiful summer days. When I’m heading north, for instance, I often recall my childhood vacations. My father always drove on those trips; Mom was a passenger and I had the back seat to myself. I loved watching the landscape change as we escaped the cities and suburbs. Metaphorically speaking, it’s often easier to let someone else do the driving. Sometimes we just want to sit back, roll down the windows, and enjoy the ride. And there’s nothing wrong with that — unless we’re always dodging responsibility or letting someone…
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Vacation
“It is always our own self that we find at the end of the journey. The sooner we face that self, the better.” ~Ella Maillart, travel writer Summer is synonymous with vacations. For most of us, to go on a vacation means to “vacate” our place of residence and change our routines. We travel to find adventure or excitement; to escape our problems; or to experience something different. We might look for something new to learn. Or we might retreat quietly for rest and reflection. In doing so, we learn more about ourselves — what matters to us; what we want from life. I think the best vacations send us…
