Dr. Jack Schafer's Friendship Formula: How to Make Friends or Lose Them

                                                               Courtesy of Amazon 

"Alone, all alone

Nobody, but nobody

Can make it out here alone"

  From Maya Angelou's poem, "Alone"

Dr. Angelou is right. Nobody can make it in the world alone. People need people. Everything is interrelated. Recently, I had car trouble.  My over 300,000k miles sedan needed an alternator, but I did not know it at the time. Yes, my battery light came on, but I kept on driving.  I didn't heed the signs (we'll discuss this in a separate blog). As I sat on the side of the road waiting for a tow truck, I started thinking about the interrelationships of life.  As social beings, we need each other, but not all relationships work out. Sometimes it is challenging to find the right people for us. I took my car to one body shop, but they could not do the job on my schedule, needed to order the part and charged me double the price. So, I took it to another shop who had the right parts, time and price. Likewise, making friends is a hit or miss game. However, according to Dr. Jack Schafer, there is a formula for making friends. After you make them, then you decide which ones to let go of or keep. Let's discuss...

How to Cope With Holiday Blues

                                  

                                                               Courtesy of Pixabay

Holidays are times for celebrations, but they can also be times of immense sadness. Why? Holidays occur in the present moment, but memories from the past may visit. These memories may include family members who have passed away, happier times with loved ones who are no longer in your life due to circumstances or the passage of time. You may experience waves of emotions from happiness to depression. How do you cope with holiday blues? Let's discuss...

The Healthy Hero: Seeking a Healthy Balance With Food and Weight Loss

Nutrition Pyramid courtesy of Wikipedia Commons

                                                                          

It was a rainy Monday morning when I stared at my scale. Over the years, I added 20 pounds to my weight. I said okay and then went to work. My lunch was my usual high carb and savory fair. French fries, cookies, burgers and cake were literally my best friends because they were honest and never disappointed me. Whenever I felt sad, I depended on food to help me feel better. However, my reflection in the mirror did not make me smile. A doctor told me that I had unhealthy lab results. If I did not make changes in my diet, then my risk for illnesses would increase. So, I had a choice - continue eating and living a sedentary lifestyle and watch my health suffer or focus on my wellbeing by eating healthier and increasing my exercise. I made the right choice. Over the past year I ran my first 10k, 5k and racked up miles going to parks to walk and enjoy nature. Oh, and I lost 20 pounds. My lab results are better, and I like my reflection in the mirror. Why did I change? Per Nietzsche, "He who has a why to live can bear almost any how."  Let's discuss....

Hope Can Set You Free: A Look at The Shawshank Redemption

 

The Shawshank Redemption movie poster, courtesy of Wikipedia

Warning: this article contains spoilers from the film The Shawshank Redemption. 

Hope is defined as "a feeling of expectation and desire for certain things to happen."  In the film, The Shawshank Redemption, Andy Dufresne maintained hope for a better life even though he was convicted of a crime he did not commit and forced to endure 19 years of confinement in a dangerous prison. The film is also a story about hope versus despair, which utilizes inspiration from the Hero's Journey and the Bible.  It is celebrated as one of the best movies ever made even though it was not a box office hit.  A popular line from the movie, "Get busy living, or get busy dying" is about the options we have in life. It is possible to be alive, but not live.  The choice is up to you. Andy's character encourages you to have hope and pursue the life you believe you deserve. Let's discuss...

Choices and Consequences - Red Pill vs Blue Pill - Choose Wisely

 

The Matrix poster - Courtesy of Wikipedia

Recently, I attended an exciting football game. One team had a choice to either kick a field goal for three points or run the football through the end zone for two points. Usually, a team with similar options would go for the field goal. So, it was shocking to me, and others, when the team went for the run. The team didn't score and eventually lost the game.  This event inspired me to think about our life choices and consequences. With every choice we make, there is a corresponding consequence.  Like Neo in The Matrix, every day we make life altering choices, so choose wisely.  Let's discuss...