Entries Tagged 'Lifelong Learning' ↓
September 18th, 2009 — Lifelong Learning
How important are goals to you? They’re often touted as great motivational tools… they’re one way of spicing up our lives. But the activities that have brought me the greatest joy have been the ones that I’ve made long-term commitments to, e. g., participating in a marriage, raising a child, blogging, etc. They’ve been activities that have kept me learning and growing with the added advantage of valuing the process, the present moment, rather than chasing after some future achievement.
What about you? What makes you feel fully alive? What has brought you the most joy in life?
September 4th, 2009 — Lifelong Learning
The prime minister of Bangladesh has ordered male government employees to stop wearing suits, jackets and ties to save electricity.
—BBC News
It’s good to read that a bit of sanity is starting to influence men’s fashions.
Yea, Rummuser for showing good sense and good taste. 
August 14th, 2009 — Humor, Lifelong Learning
Have you ever had days like this? 
We all know the power of positive thinking, but is it enough? When the universe doesn’t meet our expectations do we need something a bit deeper? I sure think so.
July 31st, 2009 — Lifelong Learning
I’m like the fellow in the cartoon, I like to have choices. I have a lot on my plate right now, but I never make To Do lists. They make me feel pressured and my Inner Rebel starts dragging its feet. So instead I write Possibility Lists and things go a lot smoother. The trick for me is to put things on the list early enough so I don’t forget anything and I have plenty of time to choose to do them when the time is right. After a while I get an itch to cross some of the less fun ones off, and I feel a great feeling of satisfaction when I get them accomplished. It’s a simple little trick but it works for me. I like to have choices.
What About You?
Do you have any tricks for motivating yourself?
July 17th, 2009 — Humor, Lifelong Learning
Never do unto others what you would have others do unto you. They might have different tastes.
—George Bernard Shaw
Some kind of help is the kind of help that helping’s all about. Some kind of help is the kind of help we can all do without.
—Marlo Thomas in Free to Be Me and You
bikehikebabe has been experiencing the difference in kinds of help lately, as she recovers from her hip replacement. She has been listening to books on CDs and asked her husband to pick some up at the library for her. She told him to just look for women authors and don’t read the description on the back of the jacket, because if he would like it, she wouldn’t. She would take her chances on random women authors. Unfortunately he couldn’t resist reading the descriptions and brought home CDs that he would like in her situation…stories about international intrigue.
In fairness he did bring home one story by a woman author, as she requested, and it turned out to be too mushy with no plot. The ones he picked were actually better. So who’s to tell how one’s efforts will turn out? Still it’s usually a good idea to try to listen to what the other person thinks she wants.
Do you have any suggestions for books bikehikebabe might like? What are some of your favorites? She would appreciate your ideas.
July 10th, 2009 — Lifelong Learning
Robert Hruzek’s writing challenge this month is What I Learned From Bloopers, Mistakes, and Embarrassing Moments. No problem. I can do that.
The incident that comes to mind is when I almost strangled a dog…accidentally, of course. I was working with Penny in the outside kennel area and had to go inside for a minute or two. I decided to let her stay outside in the fresh air, but she was an escape artist, easily climbing over 6- or 7-foot chain link fences. So I tied her leash to a convenient spot in one of the kennels and went inside.
Fortunately I did come back right away, because when I did Penny was dangling by her neck from the top of the fence. The leash had been long enough for her to reach the top and get over it, but not long enough for her to reach the ground. She understandably was frantic and I was none too calm myself. So I ran over to support her weight and undid the leash. When I put her on the ground she made a beeline over to the door to the indoor kennel area. And when I opened that door she ran straight into her kennel and made it clear she was staying there where it was safe. No more thoughts of exploring that day!
I don’t know if she learned a long-term lesson about climbing over fences, but I sure learned a lot about dealing with dogs like her. It’s an experience I’ll never forget.
What About You?
What kind of painful/scary learning experiences have you had?
July 3rd, 2009 — Humor, Lifelong Learning
A mother, father and daughter were taking a walk, enjoying the sounds of nature.
Mother: I love the sound of the wind rustling in the trees.
Father: I love the twittering of the birds.
Little Girl: I love the sound snails make.
Mother and Father: Huh?
Mother: But, Honey, snails don’t make any sound.
Little Girl: Yes they do. See! (Stepping on a snail crossing their path.) They go CRUNCH!
Just another reminder that not everyone sees the world the way we do. It pays to ask rather than trust our assumptions.
June 26th, 2009 — Lifelong Learning
I never eat organic food. At my age I need all the preservatives I can get.
—Anonymous
Thanks to the efforts of the wife, a couple lived a healthy lifestyle and were doing fine until they were killed in a traffic accident. When they arrived in heaven they were overwhelmed by how fantastic it was. They were delighted at first, then the husband started berating the wife:
If it hadn’t been for you and your organic food, we could have been here ten years ago!
What do you think about organic food?
June 12th, 2009 — Lifelong Learning, Living Fully
Do you agree with Ben’s reasoning in the comic above? Do you think that question is a valid test of IQ?
Which doesn’t belong in the following group: cow, rooster and hay?
David Brooks recently wrote an article in the New York Times saying people in an individualistic culture like America will be more apt to connect the cow with the rooster because they’re both animals…individualists are more apt to think in terms of categories. Asians are more collectivistic and think in terms of relationships. They’re more apt to say the rooster doesn’t belong because the cow depends on the hay. Brooks’ reasoning sounds good, but my husband is highly individualistic and was raised in a rural area. He also thinks the cow and hay are more closely linked. What do you think? Do you think questions like this are too culturally biased to be used on tests of intelligence and ability?
Are you as fascinated as I am by the different ways people think?
Picture Credits
May 15th, 2009 — Lifelong Learning, Stress Trap
How do you feel about exercise? Do you agree with the Enthusiast or the Couch Potato?
The Enthusiast:
I love the way I feel when I exercise. Not only that, it will add years to my life.
The Couch Potato:
I hate exercise. Besides, if God wanted us to do it He wouldn’t have invented the remote.
