Category: Rich’s Ride

How many times can a man turn his head and pretend that he just doesn’t see? The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind. Bob Dylan Another senseless slaughter in a place dedicated to peace—a church, a school, The Holocaust Museum.

One can be very happy without demanding that others agree with them. ~ Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe I’ve been thinking a lot about Chris Guillebeau’s insightful analysis of What Makes A Community? We all live, work, and play in a variety of communities, and I guess I’m especially interested because my efforts to contribute via […]

  A community is a group of people united through a common struggle with the same stories. This definition comes from an insightful article by Chris Guillebeau called What Makes A Community? I highly recommend Chris’ site, The Art of Nonconformity. Chris’ writing makes me think and inspires me to extend my own ideas. I […]

Normal is a setting on the dryer. We’re obsessed with labels. Democrat, Republican, liberal, conservative, Christian, atheist—it seems that we’re intent on placing ourselves in neat little boxes and pretending that everyone in a particular box is identical. The big problem with labels is that they obscure ideas and individuals. Then we demonize, bash, and […]

Why do you believe in God? The question stopped me in my tracks. I’m naturally a seeker and a questioner so I’m accustomed to reconciling the internal consistency of my faith, but such interactions occur with other believers. I don’t think I’ve ever encountered this foundational question.

“Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.” I try to avoid politics. Really, I do. I dislike partisan bickering and divisiveness that casts someone as the personification of evil simply based on party affiliation. I’m […]

An optimist looks at a piece of moldy bread and sees penicillin. Leonard was tired of my endless complaining. More than a year after my accident I still invested more energy in seeking sympathy than working to get better. He was sick of my lousy attitude. Leonard was the latest in a series of physical […]

In the confrontation between the stream and the rock, the stream always wins – not through strength, but through persistence. Do you recall waiting in long lines to get your driver’s license?

“How do you develop resilience?” We were discussing an approaching event at which I’ll speak to a group of nonprofit leaders about the notion of confronting and overcoming adversity.

I like to read bumper stickers. I think there’s something clever about expressing an important bit of philosophy in a few memorable words and convincing someone to display your wisdom on their car. I saw a catchy phrase yesterday that summarized the way I seem to live a good deal of my life: trapped behind […]

If you can imagine the worst–and see the possibility in it–you have turned a corner. Everything begins to shift. Worry is transformed into creativity.  Michael Hyatt Are you as burned out on negativity as I am? I’ve basically stopped watching television news. My radio mostly blares mindless sports talk these days. I scan a few […]

Palm Sunday–the day the Jews welcomed Jesus with cheers and celebration. This is a special day for Christians, the beginning of Holy Week. It’s a bittersweet day on which immediate joy mingles with the knowledge of impending disaster.