Regardless of your political affiliation, recent months have been filled with crucial conversations where opinions vary, stakes are high, and emotions run strong. The authors of the best-selling book, Crucial Conversations, tell us that during such times, we are often at our worst. We feel under pressure, stumped, and tend to act in self-defeating ways. […]
Retain Top Talent with Proper Motivation
Spend any length of time in a leadership or supervisory role, and you quickly realize that the most challenging aspect of your job is people. People are complicated and messy. People come in all shapes, sizes, experience level, educational backgrounds, and they bring with them their own baggage. Yet, you are tasked to develop, nurture, […]
Kuma hikes at Dreamy Draw Park for the first time
Ah. Fall temps are here! I love the crisp mornings and cool evenings. Milder temperatures mean we can explore more local hiking options rather than heading to higher ground to avoid the heat. This past weekend, we drove down to Dreamy Draw Park located at 2421 E Northern Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85020 (off the 51 […]
Kuma tours Southern Colorado
My folks packed up their suitcases, and I was eager to discover where we were headed. These weren’t the small camping bags; these were the traveling and hoteling kind of bags. What great adventure lied before me? What yummy human food would I get to eat? I patiently waited for my travel leash, but they […]
Coaching can help you press on
I shared recently about a challenging hill I am running up and down to exercise because I can (see Not Today blog). Well, the temperatures continue to rise here in Phoenix and that hill feels steeper every day but I press on. The crazy thing is that I am not out there alone. Other people […]
Where are your manners?
Our local news channel 3 has a segment called “Caught Misbehaving” where a reporter films people doing, well, bad things! One show highlighted people running through stop signs and another was people not slowing down for pedestrians as they crossed the street. What I find frustrating about the premise is that he never corrects the […]
I will not say no – not today. Say yes to something that challenges you!
It was 93 degrees—the heat of the day—and I decided to run the steep hill located near our house. It’s a road that leads to a cell tower. It isn’t anything special, but the switchbacks are a butt buster. My goal was up and down three times for a total of three miles. The pavement […]
Manners Matter, Even for Madea
I don’t know what rock I have been living under, but I have never seen any of the Tyler Perry Madea movies. I really like the movies I’ve seen Perry in, so when Madea’s Family Reunion was on television (came out in 2006), I sat down to watch it and was pleased to see that […]
We can often hear more in the silence
During our Palm Sunday service this past weekend, our pastor shared the significance of each aspect of Easter: Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and Easter morning. I understood the meaning behind them, but what I didn’t know is about Saturday. Apparently, Saturday was a revered day because people would set it aside to not only mourn […]
Hot Tips for Exercising in the Heat
This summer has been a hot one all across the country. Here are some hot tips for exercising in the heat: If you are in decent shape, continue exercising outside up to 100. After that, take it inside. If you aren’t in great shape, take your exercise indoors at 90. Hydrate yourself […]
