“…a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to throw away stones,
and a time to gather stones together”
— Ecclesiastes 3:3-5i —

Bob Dylan once said he couldn’t write the songs now that he wrote back in his heyday. “I don’t know how I got to write those songs. All those early songs were almost magically written. …It’s not a Siegfried and Roy kind of magic. It’s a different kind of a penetrating magic.”

There are many things in life that are uncertain.
Your word shouldn’t be one of them.
If you tell someone you’re going to do something, by God, do it,
and don’t make them have to remind you.

Having to remind you puts people in an uncomfortable situation, which usually results in them not asking you to do what you said—even promised—to do. This puts a strain on relationships because it breaks trust. If your word loses meaning to those you know and love, you begin to also lose respect, which is hard to ever get back. It is a true loss even though many times it’s not on purpose.

“Gratitude is tåhe wine for the soul.
Go on. Get drunk.”
— Rumi

I love Thanksgiving because it is a combination of two very heartfelt actions, thanks and giving. While Thanksgiving isn’t an exchange of gifts, it is an exchange of acknowledgement, connection, love, time, and appreciation—extra special things many of us tend to take for granted the rest of the year. The first Thanksgiving celebration was 403 years ago, and miraculously, we have managed to still hold giving thanks in high regard, even if only for a day.

It’s officially the holidays, and invitations
are dropping faster than beach umbrella sales.
It’s time to pull out your sparkling holiday wear and gear up
for parties, drop-ins, dinners, and business socials.

I love invitations; often, they are creative, beautiful, festive… and useful, as they give the invitee an idea of the mood, caliber, dress, and atmosphere of the upcoming gathering. However, receiving an invitation comes with great responsibility, and how you respond to this responsibility separates you from the serfs.

“You can’t use up creativity.
The more you use, the more you have.”
— Maya Angelou —

Some people just seem to ooze creativity with every breath they take. Usually, it’s easy to detect from the outside in; there’s an air, like a scarf strategically worn in a way most of us could never pull off. There are a litany of ways to live creatively well beyond donning a scarf, however, most of us can’t get out of our own way to do so.