I just finished reading Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers where he brings up the idea of practicing something for 10,000 hours, and now I can’t stop thinking about the possibilities of practicing something for 10,000 hours. This theory, from what I understand, suggest that if one deliberately practices something for 10,000 hours, they will reach a…
My Writing Compost Heap
It was the author Neil Gaiman on Masterclass who introduced the idea of a writer’s compost to me. In order to get better at sometime you have to spend time doing that thing. I just makes sense. If I want to be a better swimmer, I have to get in the water and swim. If…
Poisonwood Bible
When we finally reached the Redwoods after hours of driving, my kids were sound asleep in the back of the car. My husband offered to stay in the car first. So I put on my running shoes and took off. It felt good to run after being in the car all day. To feel the…
Is it Honorable to be Obedient and Loyal?
What does it mean to be obedient and loyal? What does it mean to defer and submit? Is it always virtuous to be obedient, loyal? Is it ever virtuous to defer and submit? After ordering his sailors in the longboat to all follow the mate’s order, and to do nothing without his consent, Harris called…
Blink
“A small miracle happened…they saw her for who she truly was.” That’s perhaps the best sentence to understand the power of this book. In reviewing this book, allow me again to quote from this thought provoking book: “The first task of Blink is to convince you of a simple fact: decisions made very quickly can…
Split Second
Before we proceed with some of our actions we have time to evaluate and weigh out the options in an effort to make the best decision for the specific situation before we act. And then other moments we have but a split second to react. It was Sunday evening, four days after Christmas, around 5…
That We May Be One
When I read books I often ask myself and wonder what makes one book speak to me more than another? And what makes one book successful or valuable? Why do I fall in love with some books and not others? Why are some books sold for years and years while others end up at the…
Why I Write
My goal isn’t to win some sort of imaginary debate. I want to develop my ability to artfully articulate my thoughts. And I want to develop my ability to create a good argument and using sound reasoning in my discussions. But my focus in developing these skills isn’t so that I can convince and persuade…
The Destroyer of Marriage (and every other relationship)
Ego. It’s only three letters, but it’s powerfully destructive. Part of it’s power lies in it’s ability to be somewhat invisible. We had an aspen tree in our backyard that was tall and beautiful. It happened to be the only mature tree in our backyard at the time. It was also the only source of…
I Think This Is A Bad Idea
When the Babolinan empire was busy constructing the tower of Babel, there was a group of people that left the spectacular city, their homeland, in search of a new place to live. And they didn’t just move from one city to the next, they moved from one continent to another. They built their own barges…
Is it Morally Wrong to Manipulate Emotion?
There was this moment in the live performance of the musical The Scarlet Pimpernel where the clever devious Pimpernel is with his group of men sailing on a ship to France on one of their most important missions. As the song unfolds the story, the men are moving around on the ship getting into disguise….
