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growth

Resolving to Avoid?

Cartoon of a sheep and a wolf

Cartoon of a lamb and wolf. The sheep says, “€œThis year, I resolve to stay away from unnecessary risks.”

One thing I have discovered over the years is that if I make a resolution to avoid something, that temptation doesn’t necessarily go away. Resolutions just don’t work if I phrase them as a negative. I can give up soda pop as a resolution. But if I don’t replace it with something, such as water, I usually fail.

So instead of thinking about what you’re going to give up this year, think about what good habit you can replace it with.

This month, my goal is to write five hundred words a day. Hidden within that goal is to regulate how much time I spend online. If I’m going to write those words, something will have to give. So while I may not be surfing as much, this will give me a better opportunity to write my blog. I also plan to explore writing my next book.

So what is your resolution for the new year? Feel free to leave a comment and let us know.

 

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Safety Cartoons webcomic

Taking Playground Safety Seriously

Cartoon of a business man jumping off a swing

Cartoon of a business man jumping off a swing

Cartoon of a business man jumping off a swing. The caption says, “Playground tester, Cyrus Kolter demonstrates his graceful form as he jumps off a swing.”

My dad is an insurance guy. He spent his career as an underwriter. He sees safety hazards wherever he goes. Sometimes, that didn’t make trips to the playground fun. I didn’t realize the curly slides could be such a death trap.

All the same, he taught me to pay attention to my surroundings. Too many times, we assume a playground, a school or any public place is safe. While officials like Cyrus Kolter do their best to make these places attractive and without hazards, It’s always a good idea to pay attention and survey the area instead of plunging right in to that merry-go-round of misery.

Have fun, people! But play it safe too!

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Christmas holiday

Seven Easy Tips to Nurture Giving in Your Child

Christmas cartoon of a boy at a fast food restaurant

Cartoon of a boy at a fast food restaurant. He asks a worker, “My dad hates gift cards. Can you wrap up a hamburger in festive paper and a bow?

Our children are assaulted with a flood of commercials this time of year. They have seen so many toy commercials, they could probably quote them back to you verbatim. What do you do when everything around your children screams greed and you want to teach them to be giving?

My local paper had a great article by Kathy Schwartz entitled 10 Perfect Gifts Parents Can Give. That got me thinking about ways parents and teachers can teach how to be giving.

Here are seven easy tips:

  1. Volunteer at a community center.
    1. Perhaps there is a soup kitchen, homeless shelter or women’s shelter that would welcome your help.
    2. Be sure it is okay to bring your kids. Also you will need to discern if your kids are mature enough to be a help instead of a distraction.
  2. Find a service that gives gifts to those less fortunate. Two great ones are:
    1. Operation Christmas Child
    2. Angel Tree.
  3. Have your children participate in gift giving for relatives. The family can brainstorm what a grandparent, aunt or uncle wants. It doesn’t have to be store-bought. A homemade ornament can be just as meaningful if there is some thought put into it. (try to get beyond gift cards. It’s just too easy to grab a handful of these guys. Wrapped hamburgers also aren’t a good idea!)
  4. Have the family make and decorate Christmas cookies for the neighbors. The kids can decorate Christmas cookies with icing. The kids can also help deliver the gifts door-to-door.
  5. Team together with a family or with your church to sing Christmas carols door-to-door. Your church or religious institution probably has a list of elderly members that would love to hear some Christmas cheer.
  6. Attend a church service to remind everyone the reason for Christmas. Many churches have a Christmas Eve service.
  7. Read the Christmas story from Luke 2:1-20.
    1. Talk about what the stable would have looked and smelled like.
    2. Why would the king of the world choose to come to earth in such a humble way?
    3. What would Mary and Joseph have felt when all these events occurred?

Try some of these techniques to get the focus off of the gift-getting and onto being generous.

 

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children cartoons Christmas holiday

Why Christmas plays are hard work

Cartoon of a boy in a shepherd costume and a teacher at a Christmas play

 

Cartoon of a boy in a shepherd costume and a teacher. The boy says, “You call this a Christmas play? There is no playground and you’re putting us to work!”

I am a big fan of A Charlie Brown Christmas. We’re the same age. We both came to this world in 1965. I’ve been in my share of Christmas plays and they always seemed as chaotic as the one Charlie Brown is directing. And I’ve always been tempted to break out of character and just dance in the middle of the play.

Christmas plays are hard work because you have to act A LOT when you’re in one. You have to pretend that boy who you know is a practical joker is Joseph. You have to pretend the girl who kicked you in the shins during recess is Mary. Then YOU have to pretend you are somber and just seen a platoon of angels when you know full well it was the Smith triplets in bath robes.

Christmas plays are also hard work because we can’t get our head around the notion God came to Earth as a baby to a poor family and was born in a barn. Lets face it. If we were God, WE wouldn’t want to be born in a barn and we’d want more than some smelly shepherds to visit us that first night.

Those Christmas plays are just hard work!

 

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Christmas holiday

Office Holiday Spirit

Christmas cartoon of a grumpy businessman

Christmas cartoon of a grumpy businessman

Cartoon of a man in a santa suit and a grumpy businessman. The businessman says, “The office is in the holiday spirit. At least it is as soon as I leave it.”

I saw a production of A Christmas Carol last night. It had me thinking of what a modern-day Scrooge would look like. I know there are plenty around modern offices. I admit I haven’t decorated my cubicle or began shouting, “Ho, ho, ho!” yet.

There’s something about the crass commercialism part of Christmas that makes us feel uncomfortable. We take a religious holiday and make it a make-or-break buying bonanza. Even if our office depends upon this commercialism, it makes us feel uncomfortable, doesn’t it. O the avarice!