Categories
motivation

How do I know if something is too risky?

Cartoon of a boy and a shark. The shark says, "Hey, Buddy! Let me know when you're going to get in the water, okay?"

When we would take family trips to Florida in the summer, it seemed that no matter what week we took, The Discovery Channel was playing Shark Week. There was nothing like watching shark attacks the evening before, then going to the beach. I probably had those experiences in mind when I posted this cartoon.

Watching Shark Week didn’t prevent us from going to the beach. We laughed about the over-the-top stories. Sure, some of them were harrowing and we took what we could learn from them. We knew it was more dangerous to wade in the water at sunrise or sunset. We realized we needed to be aware of our surroundings in the water. But it didn’t prevent us from having a good time.

Leadership in Risky Times

Today, leaders are facing all kinds of decisions involving risk. COVID-19 is causing business, government, and institutional leaders to make some tough decisions.

  • When should we open businesses?
  • When and how should we open churches?
  • Where and when should we wear masks?
  • How do you enforce social distancing without being authoritarian?
  • What will be the best way to get kids back in school this fall?

It would be nice if the answers were as obvious as a shark enticing a bather with fake sincerity. There are a lot of unknowns. Our decisions will be complicated with the understanding there will be some risk that wasn’t there last year. Yet, all of us will have to take on some of that risk to move forward.

The odds of being attacked by a shark are 1 in 11.5 million even when you only include people who go to a beach. We are still trying to get a handle on how likely someone is likely to get the coronavirus. It will likely increase as time moves on. In any case, it will be best to continue practices such as social distancing, frequent handwashing, and sanitizing surfaces. We will need to learn how to live with this virus while maintaining safe practices and restarting our lives.

Cartoon of a boy and a shark. The shark says, "Hey, Buddy! Let me know when you're going to get in the water, okay?"
Categories
Parenting Cartoons

Should parents give up and let their kids watch TV?

Cartoon of a mom and a son. The mom says, "I don't care if all the TV moms would let you do it. I won't!"

When I drew this cartoon, I had a senior in high school and an eighth-grader. In recent weeks, I have thought about how I would have handled this crisis if it happened nine years ago. I ache for the seniors that have had their final year in high school or college flipped upside down.

Parents, I know you are facing challenges that are unprecedented. I can’t say I know exactly how it feels, because who has faced parenting under these circumstances? The closest thing I can relate to it is a midwestern winter that caused our kids to miss more than a week of school. Yes, I know it’s worse for this group of kids and parents!

Encouraging Words for Parents

It’s okay to let your kids watch some television. After all, this has been a tough time to be a parent. some of you have had to figure out how to work from home while homeschooling your kids. School districts realize this has been a challenge. Some have given up on remote learning for the rest of the year. Parents with more than one child have to be overwhelmed.

It’s okay to admit you are overwhelmed. You are not alone. Millions of families are going through the same struggle. We will all learn from it and be prepared for the fall. In the meantime, give yourself some grace. If school professionals are overwhelmed, you have permission to be as well.

Your kids may have spent a lot of time staring at screens. If they aren’t in front of it for learning, it may be the closest, most convenient entertainment. That’s okay. Give yourself some grace if you think they’ve had too much screen time. There will always be tomorrow. Acknowledge that today is done and you can plan for screen-free activities the next day.

Know that if you are frustrated and overwhelmed, your kids are too. Some are missing their friends. Others are mourning the abrupt end to the school year or their high school years. Give your kids the time and space to grieve. Yet also help them see they do have a future beyond this.

And if your child tries to compare you to a TV Mom or Dad, you can safely remind them that none of those one-dimensional parents had to deal with a pandemic. It’s apples and oranges my friends. Be encouraged. This crisis will one day end.

Cartoon of a mom and a son. The mom says, "I don't care if all the TV moms would let you do it. I won't!"

Categories
Attitude motivation

Does complaining do any good?

Cartoon of two women next to a wilted plant. One woman says, "It's a valuable plant. When I complain, it wilts."

When I drew this cartoon and posted my blog, Wilted Complaints, I was preaching to myself. Three years after this post, I got into a bad habit of complaining. I rendered myself ineffective at work because I let challenges overwhelm me. Instead of working on the problem, I would complain with colleagues about how insurmountable the odds were. Meetings weren’t effective. The planning seemed pointless. It was all because I was stuck in a complaining mode.

What about venting? Can I vent?

When tensions are high, or when we are in a situation alike a coronavirus lockdown, we all need to vent a little. If I don’t talk with my wife about what’s bugging me, it will simply build up.

The Web Economic Forum has an article on why it’s okay to vent about the coronavirus as long as it doesn’t become a habit. We are naturally going to be frustrated when things aren’t going the way we like. And very few people are excited about being in lockdown for several weeks (with the exceptions of some dogs and hermits).

The problem with a complaining habit is that it doesn’t solve anything.

  • It absolves me of responsibility
  • Instead of speaking life into a situation, it speaks death
  • It lets things fester like picking a scab
  • It doesn’t make for a pleasant companion (and who wants to isolate even further?)

I am starting to read a book entitled, The No Complaining Rule: Positive Ways to Deal With Negativity at Work by Jon Gordon. I’ll let you know about the highlights. Complaining is a habit that is too easy to start. Let’s find ways to be positive today and keep our plants from wilting.

Cartoon of two women next to a wilted plant. One woman says, "It's a valuable plant. When I complain, it wilts."
Categories
motivation

How Can I Feel Significant?

Cartoon of son to dad, "How long before I'm old enough to search for significance online?"

Many of us are challenged to find significance in a new environment. When I first posted this cartoon, social media was beginning to make a huge impact. It was a time before the term, “Influencer.” Today, social media continues to grow as we work from home and are keeping in touch electronically. You may ask yourself, “Can I really feel significant if my main interaction with people is online?” According to this New York Times article, We are searching for meaning during this time.

When I posted this on Flickr eleven years ago, I had a comment from a reader that simply said, “Ouchie.” It may have stung because an online-only significance may feel shallow and insubstantial. We are still humans that need to interact with other humans. As we continue to shelter in place for at least another couple of weeks, consider the following:

  • We will get back together with others soon. While it feels like we have been in lockdown forever, this too shall pass
  • Computers and the Internet are still a tool. It’s not the tool, nor is it the only tool we can use to interact
  • Finding a need to fill and helping someone with that need is still very effective offline
  • When interacting with someone online, consider if you would say what you are about to say in the same manner if you were face-to-face
  • Consider if making a phone call, or writing a letter is a better way to keep in touch with a friend or relative

I am thankful for the technology that allows us to keep in touch in so many ways. But there are so many ways to be significant and to make a positive difference in someone’s life.

Cartoon of a boy asking a man at a PC, "How long before old enough to search for significance online?"
Categories
Christianity Religion Cartoons

What does it mean to be spiritually mature?

Cartoon of two men. One says, "That's the first time a girl has turned me down because I'm not spiritually mature."

What a good topic for a Sunday! What does it mean to be spiritually mature when we are in lockdown and are longing to have normal events like church services? I miss the time to get together with friends and mentors as we discuss spiritual matters and learn from the pastor’s sermon. While it’s true there are online services, it’s not the same, and there are many churches and congregants that don’t have the technology or the resources.

What Does Spiritual Maturity Mean Today?

When I posted this cartoon and post thirteen years ago, I was working for a Christian publisher. Yet looking back, I don’t know if my definition of spiritual maturity then would mesh with my understanding today. I hope and pray I have matured since then. My wife certainly has, as I alluded to in that previous post. I continue to learn a lot from her. But I know I have a long way to go.

Everyone is being tested through this crisis, even the spiritually mature. However, spiritual maturity can give us resilience during this crisis. What does it look like? Keep in mind I am looking at this from a Christian perspective since that is my background.

Spiritual Maturity is…

  • Putting your faith in God because you know you are not in control
  • Looking for ways to be generous and help others, because you know it’s not about you.
  • Realizing owning things will never fully satisfy
  • Forgiving others
  • Displaying the Fruit of the Spirit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self-control
    (Galatians 5:22-23)
  • Acknowledging that you have never fully arrived

We have a great opportunity to strengthen our spiritual, emotional, and mental maturity through this crisis. Like you, I have my bad days. We all struggle. It helps me to remember we are all experiencing trials and troubles and that we can grow from them. Have a blessed Sunday!

Cartoon of two men. One says, "That's the first time a girl has turned me down because I'm not spiritually mature."