Below are the most viewed posts on this blog during 2012. If you missed one of them or have long since forgotten what it was about, check it out. Most are quick lessons learned of 366 words or less (the exceptions being #2 and #9 – both posts from 2011 that still were among the most viewed in 2012).
1. Be There: Giving full attention to the people you are with and not being distracted by technology or anything else.
2. Trust: The importance of trust between people, and implications if trust is broken, especially in relationships at work.
3. Sometimes All It Takes Is 20 Seconds: Inspired by the movie We Bought a Zoo, thoughts about how 20 seconds of insane courage can change your life.
4. Companies Need Customer Service Like Granny Provides: Based on my regular experiences with a sweet, old lady when I donate blood at the Red Cross, this is what customer service should be like.
5. You Need Someone At Work To Relate To: Being the only person at your business doing your type of work can be very lonely. Having one other person to relate to can help tremendously.
6. Kisses Are Priceless: From Valentine’s Day, 2012, read about two unexpected kisses, how they made my day and why kisses are priceless.
7. Exhaustion Can Hurt So Good: After an extreme Muddy Fanatic race with good friends, the mind and spirit can be so satisfied even if the body is spent.
8. Don’t Pre-Judge: Whether dealing with people or animals, you can easily make wrong assumptions and treat others differently if you pre-judge them.
9. More Questions Than Answers: Still-unanswered questions from 2011 regarding social learning and the use of social media in learning.
10. Evil Is Real, and So Is the Cure: Reflections following the tragic elementary school shootings in Newtown, Connecticut from my Christian worldview.
Thanks to all the readers who made these the most read. I look forward to seeing what interests you this year.
One of the annual Christmas season rituals for my wife and me is to watch the movie It’s a Wonderful Life. We did that again tonight. Given the number of years we’ve been doing this, it’s safe to say that I’ve seen this movie more times than any other movie.
I had a kind, good person at work send me an email today concerned about some things I had said recently. She feared that my remarks could be harmful if taken in a way that pitted one group against another. While that was not my intent in making the remarks, I can certainly understand where she was coming from. I thanked her for the comments and the manner in which she shared them and felt duly and appropriately chastised. I was reminded that it is difficult trying to find that balance between being a change agent affecting how communication happens in a large company while maintaining good working relationships with all, including those with whom you disagree.
Last night I spent some time at my son Brian’s home with his roommates and some of their family. It was my first time meeting the others except for Brian’s dog Jaina.
As the temperatures turned cooler in the evenings this week in Louisville, Kentucky, I was actually a little excited to put on a warm sweatshirt and take my dog for a walk. Not much beats the cozy comfort of a sweatshirt on a crisp, cool day. Add my horrible looking, soft lounge pants that would embarrass anyone but me, settle in my man cave with my favorite beverage and my dog nestled up to me, and life is good. This week we even got to experience for the first time the heated floors we put in during a recent remodel of our kitchen and master bath – another reason to be glad for the chilly temps. Our feet were very happy.
This is not a partisan political Post. In fact, I hope it’s the opposite.
I prefer realism more than pessimism or optimism. Others may see me differently, but for purposes of this post, give me the benefit of the doubt. It helps me maintain that view when I surround myself with others who share the same perspective.
While walking my dog in our neighborhood earlier tonight, I walked past a young family with three little girls. As I was walking by, one of the girls looked up on the roof of the house in front of us and, upon seeing the skylight, said “Oh, is that an iPad?” The dad chuckled and said, “No, it isn’t an iPad. It’s a skylight.” I smiled as I walked by them and pulled ahead at the faster pace my dog and I prefer.
The dominant news story of the day today has been the mass shooting in the movie theater in Aurora, Colorado – a tragic, senseless act of some deranged man whose motives and psyche we may never understand. My heart goes out to all those directly and indirectly impacted by the tragedy. My prayers are with the families of the victims and those recovering from injuries. I trust justice will be done and the shooter will never again know what it is to be a free man in society.
I have great respect for people who are themselves wherever they are. It irks me when I see someone behave one way in front of some people and an entirely different way in front of others. The only chameleons I enjoy are reptilian, not human.
