Have you ever heard the phrase, “Can’t see the forest for the trees”? It basically means that when we’re too close to a problem or situation, it’s very hard for us to have a big-picture perspective. The trouble is, when you don’t have the proper perspective, it’s very hard to make your situation better. It reminds me of this modern day parable: Thursday, March 06, 2014
Are you familiar with the phrase, “to pass the buck”? It means to not take responsibility for something; to let somebody else do what you should have done in the first place. Thursday, February 20, 2014
Have you ever noticed how hard it is to rid ourselves of stress? In fact, it almost seems like the harder we try to get rid of it, the more stress attaches itself to our life! It’s not until we "stop trying so hard" that stress finally starts to disappear. It reminds me of this modern day parable: Thursday, February 13, 2014
Have you ever heard the phrase, “Negotiation is an art form”? For most people, negotiation is a necessary evil, something you have to do if you want find a fair price for a needed product. But for some, the thrill of negotiation is the most exciting part of the process. Thursday, February 06, 2014
With summer's arrival comes a journalistic convention that seems more and more dated. It is the "summer reading list" of books, often beside a graphic showing a bathing suit and sunglasses.
Sure, I'd like to check out Douglas Brinkley's biography of Walter Cronkite and Hilary Mantel's sequel to "Wolf Hall." Heck, I'd love to read Joan Rivers' funny and shorter book, "I Hate Everyone ... Starting With Me."
Problem is, few of us worker bees will be packing a steamer trunk of volumes to while away the lazy afternoons. Average working Joes now put in a month more of labor a year than they did 25 years earlier, and much of that time comes out of summer vacation's hide.
Whenever an overly generous soul praises me for my alleged "success," I thank them and gently remind her (and myself) of the unearned luck of my life.
Consider the following: I was born during the Great Depression, after the nation's birthrate had reached a new low, and I was one of approximately 11 people born that same year. This meant that when I graduated from high school, college admissions offices - desperate to fill empty dorms and classrooms - were eagerly recruiting almost anyone who wasn't under indictment or detox, and maybe some who were.
This also meant that when I got out of college and the Marine Corps, and sought to enter the revered "private sector," it was the decade of the 1960s, during which the gross national product of the United States was actually doubling - and because there were so few people in my generational cohort, for us lucky ones there were almost more jobs than there were young people to fill them.
Last week, I wrote about our expanded news staff and the freelance writers who continue to contribute to the quality of our newspaper.
Much to my chagrin, I failed to mention one of the most important people on the staff. She's not a reporter or photographer, but she certainly keeps the wheels of business and commerce going for EastWord News. Her name is Kristina Boehlke and she's our operations director.
