Hello there, September! This month here at Heart of the Matter we’re focusing on curiosity and learning. I love the concept of lifelong learning and acquiring new skills by being open and curious about the world. Try as I might, in most instances of “new learning” I’m also laughing at my own misadventures. I have … More Love, Curiosity & Learning
It seems like these days pass so quickly that we often finding ourselves reading, appreciating the gift of a post, and then moving on too quickly. To extend some of the great notes of the week, we have Well Said Saturdays – bringing a few quotes from recent posts forward. From Inspirations by Vicki From … More Well Said Saturdays – September 2
It seems like the vein of stories about dates that didn’t go well is as wide as it is deep, and usually worth a giggle. I remember a good friend telling me the story about a date who showed up to pick her up for dinner with a Big Head Barbie affixed to his hood … More Episode 33: Love Lessons with Mark Petruska
If you read me regularly, you know that my life is full of joy. My wife, Tara, says she has never known anyone with so much joie de vivre. This French phrase means a cheerful, hearty, or carefree enjoyment of life. Yep! Totally me! I owe much of this zest for life to Tara. I … More Purple Trans Ams, White Lies & Green Cards
A couple of weeks ago my son, Mr. D, was really focused on wanting a motorcycle that he described as red and turns into a boat. Expecting this was the fleeting fancy of a four-year-old, I listened, nodded, and told him to show me a picture of what he wanted the next time he saw … More Working for Joy
I am going to a darker, maudlin, more personal place today which is incongruous when our theme this month is focused on happiness and joy. I know that many will say that true happiness, even joy, comes from making others happy, from giving selflessly to ensure they are creating joy in another person’s life. For … More Reclaiming Myself
When we brought our daughter home from the hospital as a newborn, her skin was a yellowed jaundice color and she had problems keeping anything down. Infant jaundice usually occurs because a baby’s liver isn’t mature enough to get rid of bilirubin, a yellow pigment of red blood cells, in the bloodstream. The doctor told … More Collecting seashells
We lived in the Philippines when I was a kid. To connect with family back home, my mom used to send tapes to my grandparents. I remember making at least one of those tapes. My mom, brother, sister, and I were up in my bedroom siting on the two twin beds, the door was closed … More Good Mood of the Soul
The phrase “bundles of joy” makes me think of bringing my kids home from the hospital. My mind zooms to that hot August afternoon when I walked out of the automatic doors of the hospital with Miss O strapped into the car carrier for the very first time. My mom pulled the car around and … More Bundle of Whose Joy?
Yep. I’m talking about the famous line from the 1983 film “War Games”. If you’re old enough to remember, the film “War Games” had seismic appeal to nerdy types of all sorts. Me? I was a newly married bookworm, wed to my lovable geek of an inventor husband. Yep – we married when we were … More Shall We Play a Game?
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