Pablo Casals was considered the greatest cellist who ever lived. When he was 95 years of age, someone asked him why he continued to practice his cello six hours every day. His response? “Because I think I am making progress.” I have a friend who got sober – at the age of 93. It is…
Things change with time. For example, did you know that the fifth largest city in the United States, 100 years ago, was Cleveland, Ohio? Today, Cleveland ranks as America’s 54th largest city. Cleveland is now smaller than Wichita, Aurora, Tulsa, Omaha, and Mesa. Everything changes with time. With age, most of us get shorter and…
If you want to try something that is nearly impossible, try this. Try to overstate the importance of community. Good luck with that. Therapist Elizabeth Dixon writes, “Our relationships, more than anything else, set the stage for our health, happiness, and well-being. Research indicates that the quality of our social relationships affects a range of…
Never judge your self-worth by your net worth. Men tend to draw their self-esteem from their jobs, women from their relationships. So this whole net worth thing is mostly (but not totally) a guy problem. It’s okay to have things and it’s okay to enjoy them. But don’t be so tied to what you have…
If you are drinking your milk with a fork, perhaps you missed the date on the side of the carton. It’s called an expiration date. Eggs, milk, most food – they all have expiration dates. Could there be an expiration date on God’s mercy? God warned, “My people would not listen to me; Israel would…
Offering an example of poor communication, baseball legend Casey Stingel said, “All right everyone, line up alphabetically, according to your height.” Clear communication is important in any sport – including marriage. The Bible warns us to “avoid irreverent babble” (2 Timothy 2:16). Married sex addicts and their spouses have experienced more than their fair share…
Most of us make too many false assumptions. For example, I bet you thought every state capital has a McDonald’s. All of them do – except one. Montpelier, Vermont, the nation’s smallest state capital with a population of 7,500, has no McDonald’s. What a travesty! I hear a lot of false assumptions in my work…
Do you know anyone who wants to be right all the time? Someone who thinks they are smarter than everyone else? That is probably most of us. Isaac Asimov said, “People who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do.” One of the most important things in recovery is…
Have you ever been somewhere where you ran into the person who contributed the most to your addiction? You were walking along, and suddenly they were there? I know the feeling. I see the person who contributed the most to my own addiction on a regular basis – every time I look in a mirror. …
On January 12, 1971, All in the Family began a nine-year run, finishing the season as television’s top-rated show for six consecutive years. The show featured the Bunker family, which was both hilarious and dysfunctional. Perhaps the reason so many of us watched was because we came from dysfunctional families, as well. I love what…