I’m honored to live in a City of Character and thankful that we make time every month to focus on a quality of character worth cultivating. It’s always helpful to remember that being a City of Character doesn’t mean that we always get it right. It means we have a standard we can celebrate when...
I’ll start with a question. What are you looking for? There’s a simple truth that’s easy to forget. Generally, people find what they’re looking for. Where you expect to find kindness, kindness is often found. Where you look for disappointment, disappointment is easy to come by. When you don’t like...
The character trait for this month is creativity. Creativity is thinking about a situation, a task, or an idea in a new way. It’s easy to believe that creativity is an elusive trait reserved for artists, musicians, or writers. But creativity is so much more than that. Creativity is what...
Resilience is the capacity to recover from adversity. The lyrics to an old song can help us understand resilience. It says,We fall down; we get up. We fall down; we get up. We fall down; we get up.And the saints are just the sinners who fall down and get up. Don’t let the lyrics fool you. Saying...
My dad was a big man. He was overweight and he knew it. I’ll never forget one holiday when we were both standing at the dessert table. He was scooping up his second helping. He looks up from the plate with a mischievous grin and says, “Yeah, I’m working on getting skinny and beautiful. I’ve got...
At some point, we’ve all struggled to be thorough. No matter how intelligent, skilled, educated, or hardworking you may be, you’ve stumbled over something important because you just weren’t thorough enough. There is a great equalizer that reveals our lack of attention. We call this great equalizer...
This past winter, I had the opportunity to be a State Senate Page for Senator J.J. Dossett. The duties of a government Page are relatively simple. I would deliver memos and legislative materials around the Capitol and assist in the Executive Assistant’s office. Some days I sat in on Committee...
How’s your supply of toilet paper holding out? Have you made or purchased your personalized corona-mask? Are you still stuck inside or have you begun to venture out? The effects of COVID-19 go well beyond the medical. Our world has been transformed by an invisible actor that has harmed or killed...
My youngest son has the car bug. He’s years away from driving but he spends a lot of time imaging the possibilities. “Dad, would you rather have a Lamborghini Aventador or a Ferrari Portofino!? Hey Dad, would you rather have a McClaren 720s or a Tesla!?” We enjoy dreaming together. I enjoy...
If intelligence is the ability to know things, wisdom knows what to do with what you know. For example… Intelligent people know the rules of poker. Wise people, “Know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em, know when to walk away, and know when to run.” Intelligent people know that OSU plays...
There’s a cryptocurrency being circulated today. It has its roots in ancient markets. Many have forgotten its real value and the possibilities open to those willing to invest. Politicians, some who are quite wealthy by American standards, are often accused of misusing, undervaluing, or having too...
On the first date I ever had with the woman who would one day become my wife, we watched the movie, “The Princess Bride”. It’s a funny fantasy filled with quotable moments. To this day when my wife asks for my help I respond, “As you wish.” If you know the movie, you know what that means. There...
