Posts by boblehman
Learned helplessness
Helplessness has a few sides to it. There is a “cuteness” to it. We’ll say things like, “Oh look at that poor dog, he looks so helpless.” In those situations, you’re almost compelled to act to help out. There is the side of economic and social loss where someone loses their ability to survive and…
Read MoreWait for the marshmallow
When I was a kid, I would have loved participating in a chocolate cake-eating experiment, but there was no such thing. Believe me, I would have found it. However, there actually was a famous marshmallow-eating experiment conducted at Stanford University. Children were tested to see if they could resist eating a marshmallow. If they could…
Read MoreFind the surprise
Things that surprise us are easier to remember. I was in high school at a Sadie Hawkins dance. Afterward, I took my date for a drive in my Mom’s car. When we stopped, we were leaning against the car. We both commented about how quiet the desert was that night. All of a sudden, above…
Read MoreA friend of mine died today
A friend of mine died today. He was working on his roof and fell. It looked bad from the beginning, but he got better and better. But in the middle of his first day of rehabilitation, his heart stopped. His family was devastated. So was I. What do you say to his wife, the love…
Read MoreFriendship worth pursuing
Friendship…how important is it? Does it fall into the “extra” category. Is it something like, “it’s nice when it happens, but it shouldn’t necessarily be pursued.” Or is it something that has profound implications for our lives? I believe it is the latter. Proverbs 13:20 says “Walk with the wise and become wise. For a companion of fools…
Read MoreWhen you’re sick
I’m not feeling very good today. It’s just a cold. No big deal, but when you’re home and out of your regular routine it can be frustrating. There are so many things you’d like to do but you just don’t have the motivation. So what do you do? First, because of the recent pandemic, it’s…
Read MoreWhat do I need to focus on?
With every “smartphone” update, there are new features to try out. My latest update features a way to “focus” your attention on a specific project without distractions. This is really helpful for me given my propensity to wander. But, it reminded me of the importance of figuring out “what do I need to focus on?”…
Read MoreTry try again
If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. If you’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it a hundred times, right? It probably was an encouragement to you when you were in grade school, but how about now? That phrase really doesn’t motivate me much. I’m guessing the same is true for you. But what…
Read MoreI’m especially fond of you!
“I’m especially fond of you.” That’s a quote from the 2007 novel “The Shack” by William P. Young. The main character is Mackenzie Phillips and four years prior to the setting of the book, one of his children is abducted and killed while on a family camping trip. It turned him bitter at life and…
Read MoreA day wasted?
In the Diary of Brooks Adams is an entry about a special day when he was eight years old. He wrote, “Went fishing with my father; the most glorious day of my life,” and through the next 40 years there were constant references to that day and the influence it had on his life. Brooks’…
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