Scott's Spot

Presence. After our recent holiday break, a colleague shared how much she enjoyed visiting with her elderly grandmother during our time off. “One thing that is so great about her,” she explained, “is how she absolutely lives fully in the present moment!” “Of course,” she continued, “she then re-lives that moment again…and again…but each time, she’s really present!” We chuckled as she told that story, and I was reminded of a lunch with two important people just a few years ago. One was a high school teacher who was, and is, one of my most valuable mentors. Mr.“A” invited his mentor, Mr. “G,” to join us. Mr. “G” was in the early stages of Alzheimer’s Disease, still physically capable but already showing signs of impairment to his short-term memory. As we ate our lunch and told stories about our past experiences with one another, Mr. “G” delighted in telling one particular story about Mr. “A”from the “old” days at Miller High School. We laughed, and in a matter of moments, Mr. “G” b...

It's only 8:13 a.m., and I've been quite industrious in these first few hours of 2012. Took a walk around the park, started preparing food for a party later this afternoon, and began purging those things that waste energy and time. I started by deleting my Facebook account. I know. Some would say that is an extreme way to begin de-cluttering one's life...especially if the "some" are the 24/7 Farmville afficianados. But I feel lighter already! I'm not a "resolutions" person at this time of year. I actually do something like "resolutions" on my birthday. Instead of making resolutions, which are things you immediately are going to start or stop doing (maybe we should call them "repentences??"), I focus on what I want to be or have accomplished by my next birthday. Maybe it's a financial goal, or a trip I want to take. New Year's Day, in contrast, is when I focus less on goals I want to accomplish and more on attitudes,...