Adapt

Some things in life are worth the squeeze...take orange juice, for example. Other things just leave us with sticky hands. We’ve all had an opportunity land in front of us and wondered, Is this worth it? Is the project worth the time? Is the trip worth the drive? Is one more committee worth another meeting? Sheri: I don’t think everything worthwhile has to pay us back. Time with an old friend may not make us richer, but it can make us happier. Sometimes the payoff is simply th

“Spaghetti Junction” ahead of us was a maze of roads that all seemed to have a mind of their own. Some stretched straight ahead, disappearing into the distance. Others curved around a corner, leaving us wondering what was waiting just beyond the bend. And a few seemed to wander without much concern about where they were going. “How much life looks like that”? Aren’t We all headed somewhere? Sometimes we know exactly where we’re going...we have a destination, a plan, maybe eve

Measure Twice – Cut Once is a practical proverb we remember from growing up. While we heard it mostly when our enthusiasm (or youthful impatience) had us “jumping the gun,” we still thought it was about rulers and tape measures. As we got older, we realized it was really about slowing down long enough to check our thinking before doing something we can't easily undo. A little planning, a little verifying, and a lot fewer mistakes. But then, we were kids. Bill: I fell in love

If there's one thing life enjoys, it's making circles. Trends return. Ideas resurface. Advice we once ignored suddenly makes perfect sense. And just when we think we've moved on from something, it finds its way back into our lives. Round and round we go. Take fashion. At some point, most of us have cleaned out a closet and proudly donated clothes we were absolutely certain would never be worn by another human being again. Not only are they back, but they’re also trendy. Sudd

A level - such a simple tool with a powerful job...it tells the truth about balance. Place it on a surface, and that little bubble quietly reveals whether things are even, tilted, or just plain off. In life, having a “level” means keeping your personal horizon steady. Your expectations are grounded enough to be realistic, yet far enough ahead to keep you moving forward. When your inner bubble floats centered, you’re neither leaning too far into fantasy nor slumping into dou

A golf ball on the putting green has a pretty simple assignment: get into the hole. The funny thing is it rarely takes a perfect path to get there. A putt starts out looking straight enough, then the green has other ideas. There's a little slope you didn't notice. A patch of grass that grabs the ball. A bump that sends it wandering a few inches off course. Yet if the ball has enough momentum, it keeps rolling anyway. Life reminds us of that sometimes. Most of us have a pretty

We think God gave us memories like He gave us all fireflies – tiny flickers of light to brighten the darkness. They don’t last forever in front of our eyes, but they shine just enough to remind us of something special tucked away inside...

When someone falls overboard, throwing them a lifesaver might be a handy idea. You’ll find these handy floatation devices hung on the deck rail for immediate rescue and emergency use. But what if you’re not on a ship? What if you find yourself up the creek without a lifesaver or a paddle? What then? Handy Stuff includes but not limited to people, places, things, and ideas that are convenient, accessible, useful, positive, valuable, worthwhile, effective, helpful, informative,

Your hands are on the wheel, your foot is on the gas, and you have just enough confidence to think, “Road trip!” You’re officially in the driver’s seat - freedom in motion with authority to occasionally adjust the radio. Sheri: Remember one of our first road trips together, Bill? Packed car, big smiles, and after two hours of driving, a bold declaration of “let’s take the shortcut!” Ten minutes later, we passed the same front porch – twice, as a matter of fact. Also, the same

Remember the saying, “every pot has a lid?” Most folks hear it and think about partnering romantically. But looking at it from a different angle, it’s all about the fit. Not forced fit. Not “close enough” fit, but that satisfying, just-right moment when things come together the way they were meant to. Think about it. Every problem, no matter how oddly shaped, has a solution or resolution out there somewhere. It may not be obvious. It may not be quick. It might even look a l

Sometimes, a “piece of cake” is just that simple: something easy, something sweet, a moment in life we can enjoy without hesitation.

Question: “Hi, how are you doin’ today?” Answer: “Better today!” That simple reply may not sound dramatic, but it carries a quiet victory behind the scenes. Small daily “wins” can slowly add up. All you have to do is pick a few categories where you’d like to improve. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. But how many bites should you take today? What’s the serving size? What’s the daily recommended dose? Don’t worry about the math. Just take a bite. If you take ev

“Food for thought” isn’t just an expression, it’s a reminder that what we feed our minds matters just as much as what we feed our bodies. Life, in many ways, works like a refrigerator: fresh food in, healthy body out; positive thoughts in, happiness out. Sheri: I know lots about healthy, nutritious food! (Tip from experience: never shop when you're hungry.) I’ve been reading labels, squeezing melons, and checking expiration dates since my twenties. I also love to take advanta

Early one spring morning we noticed a tiny yellow flower poking up through a narrow crack in our cobblestone patio. No garden bed. No special soil. Just a sliver of daylight between two stones. Pretty sure nothing was supposed to grow there. That cheerful little flower reminded us of one of life’s most reliable truths: where there’s a will, there’s a way, or at least the beginning of one. Sheri: Willpower sometimes looks just like this small flower pushing through a tiny cr

The mountains rose majestically, white and gray against the wide western sky. Below, a seemingly endless valley of green trees. The landscape was expansive and generous with perspective…you know, the big scheme of things. Sometimes freedom looks like this kind of stillness. Where there is space around your thoughts. Space around your fears. Space inside your choices. Bigger than the deadlines and the constant hum of what comes next. Room to breathe again. Sheri: Standing the

Here’s a simple plan for life: show up, try, stumble, learn, and keep going. Every small effort — the class you take, the recipe you attempt, the friendship you nurture — is a coin you drop into your personal treasure chest. Over time, it fills with more than memories; it becomes a store of experience, wisdom, and stories you can share with the world. That’s what it means to be chronologically gifted. Life’s treasures grow when you learn, volunteer, and travel. Each action de

Our photo pretty much gives it away: this is a shameless (but very positive!) promotion for our book, Pictures, Pen, and Positivity. Life is full of small moments, the kind you almost miss if you’re moving too fast. But when you begin to look for them, really look, something shifts. Those moments start to add up. A glance, a laugh, a flicker of light - each can carry more meaning than we often realize. That’s the heartbeat of this book: imperfectly and honestly, we choose to

There you are on the tee box, shoulders squared, dreams high. You’ve got a plan. You’ve watched the pros on The Masters make it look poetic. You draw back, aim and swing with confidence. Then suddenly, instead of keeping it in the fairway, you’re deep in the rough contemplating life’s choices with a squirrel as your only witness. Sound familiar? Keeping it in the fairway is good golf strategy, and good life strategy. The fairway is that clear stretch between where you are and

All living things move and grow - animal, vegetable, and yes, even mineral if you give it enough time and patience. Winter is officially behind us, and “snow” is once again just a distant four-letter word we don’t need to use in polite conversation. Springtime has sprung, stretched, and yawned its way onto the calendar, inviting us all to do what nature does best: renew, repurpose, and refresh. Spring is generous with encouragement, especially if you like words that start wit

Do you know what you’re worth? What would you pay for your talents and services?