From the category archives:

Trying hard

The strength around us

January 31, 2011

We see fire hydrants every day, fortunately not often in use. But there they stand, along our route and near our homes — silent, patient reminders of our shared commitment to safety and community. The fire hydrant, or "fire plug", dates back to the 1600s, when fire crews would prepare a water source by digging deep into the ground to reach the water table. Afterwards, they covered the well with a plug, so that they were ready. When a fire broke out they'd remove the fire plug and use a bucket brigade — a human chain — to move the [...]

Read the full article →

Trying Hard – Still a Key to Life

October 30, 2010

Lost in the marketing maelstrom of our culture is an eternal truth: that life is hard and requires us to try hard. It doesn't matter how many songs we have on our iPod, how many friends we have on Facebook, or how many dollars we have in the bank — without an understanding of our personal commitment to making things work out it all eventually falls apart. Others can help keep things running for a while, but life requires our own determination and action. This is not just about a person's career — trying hard is about all aspects of [...]

Read the full article →

Our Society’s Toughest Commandment (#10)

September 25, 2010

One of the main characteristics of our North American society is its focus on money and entertainment. Everywhere we look there are opportunities and offers of services, goods to buy, and recreation. Advertising blitzes us continuously, mostly portraying smiling, beautiful people sharing a good time and taking possession of something they really want. And if smiling, beautiful people can't sell us something then the marketing machine uses fear to convince us that we are missing out on something important or we're at risk. Either way, we have a society encouraged to want things, and to never be satisfied. In advertising [...]

Read the full article →

Waiting Long – a poem for moving on

August 23, 2010

I recently attended a party held outdoors in farming country. Near the road was an old piece of farm machinery, slowly rusting. I wrote this poem for what is past and unchangeable: Waiting long: For men to bind me to their task. For sun and wind and dirt and grass. For purposed motion past that tree. For harvests that are not for me. As the sun set I was struck with the awareness that each of us has had times of achievements — of getting things done, of doing well — but feel now that time is passing without the [...]

Read the full article →

The New Glory Days – Pruning back former glory to find new joy

June 28, 2010

One of my favorite summer flowers is the garden geranium, with its beautiful, summer-long color. It is the type of flower that you can count on, week after week, month after month. With only a bit of watering, and some essential pruning, they will continue to make your life brighter. Growing up, our family hung white pails of red geraniums from the trees along our laneway. They were a cheerful sight for guests and part of the colorful backdrop for my early years. What I didn't know then is that it is the pruning of geraniums that keeps them looking [...]

Read the full article →

Climb the Right Mountain

May 27, 2010

"It takes as much work to climb the wrong mountain as it does the right mountain," says Brian Warren, the Founder of KidsFest. In the same way that KidsFest helps low-income children achieve their full potential, each of us needs a reawakening, and a fresh commitment to truly living our lives. In our busy world there is always a lot going on — not all of it good for us or in line with our personal goals and values. Living in a culture of plenty can open a lot of doors for exploration and personal fulfillment, but it can also [...]

Read the full article →

The Olympic flame is within us

March 1, 2010

As the 2010 Winter Olympics come to a close, wonderful memories and a sense of encouragement remain from our shared experience of Vancouver and Whistler, BC. Athletes and administrators, volunteers and fans, families and global friends — we all came together to honour excellence and commitment. While I enjoyed the excitement of the competitions, it was the determined spirit of the people that brought joy to my heart. While even the best teams come and go, the most beautiful and steadfast human traits remain: compassion and community. When I see people trying hard to do something good together I feel [...]

Read the full article →

Something you CAN take with you

February 19, 2010

We have all heard the saying “You can’t take it with you.” The saying is very old, though not as old as the Egyptian pharaohs, who stocked their pyramid burial chambers with lots of goodies for the next world. The pharaohs thought of themselves as gods, so if they wanted to bring some golden cats into the next world then surely that was going to happen. The recent touring of His Extreme Highness, King Tutankhamun (King Tut to us disrespectful peasants, and Tut to his buddies) showed lots of King Tut’s stuff, but no sign of his re-embodiment in the [...]

Read the full article →

Hearing and saying “I appreciate you”

January 7, 2010

Our world depends on a lot of people getting things done. We all have our roles and our tasks, and every day has more than enough to do. And swirling through our days are people. Some of them we see every day, like those we work with. Some people we only see for a minute, like those who help us in checkout lines or at a restaurant. Some we walk by and never share a word with. But all of the people in our days are, in fact, real and caring people. And all of them, in some way, are [...]

Read the full article →

No way to play a guitar

December 17, 2009

I love music, and I always have. It makes my body move and my spirit soar. I have many favorite songs and passages, and I can listen to them repeatedly — thrilling to the skill and nuance of the performers. My brain plays songs I’ve heard, like a tape recorder in my head. But sometimes it plays songs I’ve never heard, and those are the hard ones for me to hear, without the skills to make them real. When I was in first year university I lived in a residence with many other young men. It was a mix of [...]

Read the full article →

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →

*Favorites:*	*Articles*	*Poems*
	We are all the same size inside We are all more Celebrate small moments Thankful for people	Children do grow up No power tonight The leaf is proud	Help someone today	"The things we want are really the times we share." "The most important things we bring with us are within us." "If I had only one thing I would take a smile over an iPod." ~ Rob Hueniken

Trying hard

Trying Hard – Still a Key to Life

Waiting Long – a poem for moving on

Climb the Right Mountain

The Olympic flame is within us

Something you CAN take with you

No way to play a guitar

Recent Posts

Follow Me

Archives

Sites to Visit

Categories

	Thoughtful reflections on life, by my friend, RonBaker-c1:29
	San Francisco foodie and scientist, Darya Pino, Summer Tomato