Having moved to the southeast United States some years ago, I had to become accustomed to the typical, cultural differences. One of the easier ones is the prolific use of the “Ya’ll” in the regional dialect. I’ve always just said “You all”, but in the southeast, “Ya’ll” is a verbless […]
On Humanity and Just Existence
Politics divide us. Religious ideology isolates us. War kills us. Existence, though, unites us, and therein, very quietly and often ignored, lies hope. Yes, this is about Israelis and Palestinians…and the conflict that has existed between them for my entire adult life. If you militantly lean one way or the […]
Working With, not On…and only in some ways For
I’m a technical professional. It’s a different identity than that used to operate this virtual venue where I fancy myself to be an Odd Life Coach. I only share it as context necessary to talk about the importance of preposition choice. Don’t worry, as always, I assure you, the reader, […]
Don Gilbo: Padre, Abuelo, Compañero y Amigo
Disclaimer: I wrote this in my second language, which I learned to speak beginning in my 20’s. I’ve never taken a formal Spanish class, which is surely obvious in this writing. Nevertheless, I felt compelled to write this in the first language of a man whom I will forever respect […]
Forgiving vs. Forgetting
Forgiveness is a virtue. It’s a virtue because it signifies that something negative happened that warrants it being given. It shows you have the mental and emotional capacity to forgive the offending person. Taking it a step further, not holding something against someone (whether forgiveness was yours to give or […]
Stop Screaming for Ice Cream (and Everything Else)
When I was a kid, I learned the Ice Cream song. You might know it. At the time and through the decades that followed, I never gave a lot of thought to what it meant. As things typically happen in my brain, the song came to mind the other day […]
Angles Should be Left to Geometry
I understand many things. Angles aren’t among them. When I say angles in the current context, I’m not referring to geometry where angles make sense and can be definitively measured and used to calculate finite outcomes. I’m talking about the angles some people seem intent upon identifying and leveraging to […]
Humanity: A Tool of Mass Construction
I have something crazy to say. I read a book. No, that’s not the crazy part. I know how to read and practice often. The crazy part is that I read a book that made me think. Yes, every book I read makes me think to a degree, but The […]
Sharing Stuff
Sharing is caring. We’ve all heard it, and it’s true as long as we’re not talking about contagious illnesses. This post is short and sweet. I want to share the beC2PK idea with you, in hopes you too will strive to be Clear, Calm, Patient, and Kind. To do this, […]
Anxiety about Anxiety
Anxiety isn’t enjoyable. You can do breathing exercises and try to focus elsewhere, but there’s nothing that will make it enjoyable. So we should give up and be anxious, right? Wrong. We can embrace it and be anxious. The italics are for a reason. I’ll get to it. I promise. It’s what Odd Life Coaches […]