Monthly Archives: February 2008

Health

Virtual Fitness

Nowadays you don’t have to wait around for a trainer or instructor to get fit. And you don’t have to limit yourself to being stuck at home in front of the TV watching workout DVDs or videos.

Just reach for your iPod or MP3 player and download an audio-guided workout from the iTunes store. You can have coaches like Lance Armstrong and Serena Williams whispering in your ear while you run, or a selection of original music.

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The Great Turning

Anxiety

One of the nice things about traveling about as I have been for the past couple of years is that you get an opportunity to listen to people in other countries speak about the state of the world. As a fair generalization, I would suggest that we in the USA and Canada are among the most vocal ‘worriers’ I encounter. I would say that a high percentage of North American conversations—at least among those I converse with and based on my take on ‘the news’ on TV—are worried about something.

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Personal Empowerment

Emptying House

By Shae Hadden | Bio

Spring is in the air today. The first crocuses blaze their yellow glory at me from across the lawn. I’m staring into the sky blue expanse above the mountain ridge, and wondering why I’ve chosen to move from this place. The quiet location and the natural environment were perfect for me when I moved in a year and a half ago. And now these four walls and many of the things gathered around me loom like barriers to living full out. The friendships I had before I moved have all, save for a few, disintegrated. Some people have dropped out of my life entirely. Others, still present, relate to me in very different ways than before. Similarly, the activities we used to do together have disappeared from the picture as well. I am changed.  My inner transformation has created outer changes in my circumstances and relationships. I find myself attracted to the ‘New Me’ and distracted by, even uncomfortable with, the ‘Old Me’. Holding on to anything from my past would seem to be an exercise in futility. I sense an overwhelming urge to ‘clean house’, to empty my life of what no longer serves. It’s said that, as we journey through life, we find ourselves letting go of people, places and things that no longer align with who we are. While I’m grateful for everyone and everything in my life today, I’m also realizing that transformation has a price: we must let go of who we have been and what we once treasured to become who we are choosing to be. I’ve decided I’m going to do a bit of spring-cleaning this afternoon. I just wonder what my empty house will fill up with next…?   read more
The Great Turning

Baby Boomers or Baby Busters

I have been having a lot of ‘state of the economy’ conversations lately. The consensus is that we are going in the wrong direction and the only question is how long, how deep and how prepared we are for the long haul. I made the observation that the economic consequences of a recession are only part of the problem. A recession is a trust issue. When credit dries up, it means that lenders don’t trust the borrowers to keep their commitments. It creates a kind of double-bind. Here is how it

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Learning

Angels Do Not Sit On Pins

By Charles E. Smith | Bio

Last night I was sitting in front of CNN, drinking wine, hoping that "in vino veritas" would once again prove true. What was I to do with my future?
I was so sick of making lists, I could have screamed. I wanted, once
and for all, a goal that would bring salvation with it. I wanted a
colleague, friend or lover who would answer all my questions and
provide me with terminal support. I wanted to name a program that would

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Learning

Depression and Self-Discovery

By Stu Whitley | Bio

So
what is to be done about depression? Much the same, I think, as
rediscovering the rational self in a time when emotions hold sway. Not
an easy task, but it’s done all the time. One disciplines oneself to
think. The brain is exercised through reading, or better yet, writing.
Journaling is a powerful tool to self-discovery, and one doesn’t need
to be a Joseph Conrad to diarize one’s thoughts. What better way to
explore the inner

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Fearless Aging

Souls II

We had another meeting of the Old Souls group—my buddies from over the years who get together every few months to share our lives and experience as we grow older. We’ve been at it since 2001 and it is a special opportunity not only to be with friends, but also to have the kind of reflective space that empowers each of us in our own lives. The wife of one of our members marvels at how rare it is to find a group of men who are willing to be so open, vulnerable and supportive.

I have belonged

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