Band-Aids and Resilience
Lately we haven’t been able to get out much. We are saving every penny for the approaching storm – in a very real fight to keep our home. So today, when I was going to Home Depot, I asked Darling Daughter if she wanted to go with me – she did! Then Mommy suggested that we all go – it was time for Smiling Son’s nap, and he falls asleep best while driving. So we loaded up the truck and headed out!
On the way there, Darling Daughter wanted to know why her cut finger was healing, even though there was no medicine in the Band-aid®. It was a good question – insightful really. Mommy gave her a medical answer about cleanliness, bacteria, and the work of the band-aid. But as they spoke, a thought came to my head. I realized that we are created to heal. People have been healing for centuries without the aid of triple antibiotic ointments. It’s in our DNA. Read more…
Insanely Dangerous and Hooked on Adrenaline
My college roommate and I were in our room one warm Spring day listening to the scanner and shooting the breeze. Neither of us really had our head in the whole education game. As volunteer firefighters and EMTs in College Place, Washington, that’s where our focus was.
The locals were trying to make a living and the interruptions of ambulance calls were inconvenient to them. They were more than happy to let these 19 year old punks carry the pagers. Unfortunately, running ambulance calls and studying were not a good mix for us (and likely not for anyone else either). There was some chatter about a fire down in Oregon and we turned our attention to the scanner.
It is more than words – it is about true leadership
We all want to be special – or at least feel special. But really, feeling special is a great space to be in. This is one of the reasons people create foundation, build tall buildings, and create world-changing initiatives or medical cures – all with their name attached. In recent years, as a US President nears the end of his presidency, it has become popular for the press to talk about his “legacy.”
I believe we are born with this need to be special. I believe that parents have an obligation to meet that need as best they can.
I once read that more US Presidents and Fortune 500 CEOs were second-born children – rather than holding other places in the birth-order paradigm. The theory is that first-born children often get all the “special” attention – which many of us would think would lead to natural advantages that would assure greater success. However, what happens more often than not is that second-born children try harder. They learn to try harder to be noticed, to be appreciated, and to keep up with their older sibling. This leads to a natural inclination to succeed – where the first born often rests in a sense of entitlement, that does not lead to success. Read more…
Confessing my Dad Attitude 