It’s Sunday afternoon, and from the voice on the other end of the line, I can tell that my hospitalized curmudgeon friend is practically cheery today—even with a big diagnostic procedure looming tomorrow. His wife texts me how thrilled he is to learn that his new hospital roommate used to work for their favorite NFL … Continue reading TURNING POINTS—Angels and Ordinary Beings
TURNING POINTS—Survival Plus Some
From birth to our last breath, life is a matter of meeting our needs and wants. Survival requires food, shelter, clothing, tools, and sustenance skills. Common sense, right? Once our basic needs are met (sometimes even before), we seek pleasure, engagement, and meaning. It’s what we humans do—always have and always will. The urge to … Continue reading TURNING POINTS—Survival Plus Some
TURNING POINTS—When Handcuffs Might Not Be Our Best First Move
For some time now, Americans have watched one incident after another in which police-citizen interactions go bad. We’ve heard all sorts of proposals about how to improve this hard, ugly truth. No single change is likely to improve conditions enough to make people feel that we are making real progress, but a recent Bangor Daily … Continue reading TURNING POINTS—When Handcuffs Might Not Be Our Best First Move
TURNING POINTS—And Page Turners
I’ve never met Maine-based novelist Susan Conley, but I feel like I know Jill Archer, the protagonist of Conley’s Landslide. If you came across a character like Jill in one of those beachy reads that summer visitors inhale while ensconced on cozy B&B porches overlooking Penobscot Bay, chances are the reading would not rate up … Continue reading TURNING POINTS—And Page Turners
TURNING POINTS—Waiting and Hoping For Them
Depending on where you live on the planet, it’s been about a year since earthling leaders, to protect humans from COVID, advised, urged, and ordered their people to hunker down in their homes—among other protective measures. Certainly, these efforts have limited the disease’s spread and deadly impact. Some day in the hopefully not too distant … Continue reading TURNING POINTS—Waiting and Hoping For Them
TURNING POINTS—A Long Way to Walk—In Either Direction
As noted here last week, sometimes the experience of watching a film or reading a book can cause us to think differently about something, to change/learn. Brother Joseph, my American history teacher in junior year of high school, assigned a novel set during the American Revolution to provide background and context for the course. Reading … Continue reading TURNING POINTS—A Long Way to Walk—In Either Direction
TURNING POINTS—Happy Groundhog Day, Happy Groundhog Day, Happy Groundhog Day!
Four years ago on the film’s 25th anniversary, Chicago Tribune writer Ted Slowik called Groundhog Day “the best movie ever made.” Strong praise for a Bill Murray comedy, even though it’s one of my favorite movies. https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/daily-southtown/opinion/ct-sta-slowik-groundhog-day-st-0201-20170131-story.html February 2. You know the drill. Cut to Punxsutawney, PA, where, in delightfully unscientific fashion, top-hatted town officials … Continue reading TURNING POINTS—Happy Groundhog Day, Happy Groundhog Day, Happy Groundhog Day!
TURNING POINTS—Fishing For “The Full Life”
In last week’s post, we saw how aspects of author/entrepreneur Ali Farrell’s life contributed to her happiness or well-being, from romping with her kids and dog and authoring books to co-creating an organization to benefit commercial fishermen during COVID. We also saw how legendary psychologist Martin S. Seligman would view her behaviors as steps on … Continue reading TURNING POINTS—Fishing For “The Full Life”
TURNING POINTS—Fishing For Happiness
Last week’s post celebrated the release of Ali Farrell’s Pretty Rugged, a book that shines light on women as “lobster fishermen” off the coast of Maine. https://www.amazon.com/Pretty-Rugged-True-Stories-Women/dp/1733078436/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=pretty+rugged&qid=1610229747&sr=8-1 Author Farrell’s own story illustrates the relationship between work and happiness, which regular readers will remember was touched on in this space last month. University of Pennsylvania’s Martin … Continue reading TURNING POINTS—Fishing For Happiness
TURNING POINTS—Pretty Rugged
According to the CDC, commercial fishing is one of the most dangerous ways to make a living. But certain people are drawn in a big way to this physically, mentally, and emotionally demanding work, like the hardy folk who fish for lobster off the coast of Maine. To identify lobstering simply their “job” misses the … Continue reading TURNING POINTS—Pretty Rugged
