The Aging Perspective
Is Greatness Possible When Nobody’s Even Paying Attention?
It’s hard to imagine acknowledging someone’s greatness today without first seeing or hearing it on YouTube, Instagram or Facebook. Remember this concept, “If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?” George Berkeley, philosopher, best raised the question with the idea of observation and perception, by asking “is sound only sound if one hears it? The same can be asked about someone’s personal greatness. Can one’s greatness be perceived as something special even if nobody even knows it exists? I believe the answer is yes since greatness is first acknowledged by the individual and...
Why Therapeutic Dining Works
“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.” -Virginia Woolf I recently was out dining with some friends and when the waiter delivered our dinners my reaction was, “this meal is just too pretty to eat." I literally hesitated before delving into my salmon dish avoiding all destruction of the chef’s artistic presentation. The truth was the dish was so pretty that even if the meal was mediocre, I overlooked it. For me, the presentation influenced my dining experience in a positive way. The concept of using a therapeutic dining approach, for people with...
Let's not lose the "Art of Conversation"
Are you willing to put your phone down a little bit every day? Take the Challenge Sometimes you have to disconnect to stay connected. Remember the old days when you had eye contact during a conversation? When everyone wasn't looking down at a device in their hands? We've become so focused on that tiny screen that we forget the big picture, the people right in front of us. - Regina Brett Conversation...
On the Road to Abiquiú and What I Discovered “Acknowledgeable Art”
As I prepared to journey to New Mexico for Christmas there were 3 things that I already knew as fact: I would be with people I love I would be surrounded by the beauty of a place I had a deep affection for And I would keep an open mind to discovering something new The idea of discovering something new offers no guarantees but when it happens it can be life- changing or at the very least it gives you a new perspective. As we traveled the road to Abiquiú that would eventually bring us to our destination, Ghost Ranch,...
Volunteers are like Electricity! Without them, we couldn’t survive.
Why Volunteers are Important to Our Survival Can volunteerism become a thing of the past? I had the wonderful privilege to be invited to attend the Dr. Piper Center's 27th Annual Volunteer Recognition Ceremony on December 3rd, an event that recognizes the selfless service of volunteers that make a difference in SW Florida’s community. As they do every year they select, through a nomination process, volunteers that have made a difference and this year was a reminder to me just how important volunteers really are. While I listened to the Dr. Piper Centers’ leadership team along with the event’s eloquent...