Viral Vicissitudes

I, NOT a Robot, more like a Zombie these days... Linked In and Out: A "Linked In" tailored to me and my professional background, caught my attention this morning and took me back about 15 years...to a conversation I had with an enterprising young man who offered to link me in to a larger audience for my professional practice which, upon reflection, was more accurately described as 'linking out' -- that is, outside of my target audience. My target audience up until then comprised almost exclusively as those referred to me by other people , not a device . People such as physicians, educators, and others who had formerly come to see me and deemed it a worthy process on behalf of someone they in turn knew. PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS. This young man went on to extol the virtues of adding the option of people doing therapy via the internet...digitally. Fast forward to this morning and the company looking for additional therapists to extend their 'digital' mental health ...

75+1: Remembrance, Revenants, Resonance...Resounding Voices          - International Holocaust Remembrance Day: January 27, 2021 1940's-2021: We are reminded by vivid photos, what initially appear to be a macabre presentation by a sadistic artist, what happened in someone's 'backyard' for several years, resulting in the forced imprisonment, torture, and deaths of millions, principally those found or accused of being Jewish. An attempt to extinguish a people from the face of the earth. A particularly effective photo capturing the terror those about to become inhabitants of these 'camps' experienced, that of train tracks leading in only one direction, ending at a building about which they have heard horrific rumors... Such as the concentration-extermination camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau, responsible for at least 1.1 million murders... Don't look Away, Read on... Making the story even more macabre are photos we see every year at this time of children who were libe...

Serenity: Mirror Images What the Doctor Ordered: On your behalf, I have ordered sufficient doses of the following antiviral cocktail: the ability to let   go  of circumstances beyond your control at the moment, mixed with the corresponding ability to focus on what  you are able  and called   upon  to change, and finally the will  to step   up  in a timely  manner. An elixir containing both SERENITY and FORTITUDE.  Always in style, yours for the taking, and timely today. And tomorrow. We Are All Doomed! Well, that's the implicit and many times explicit stated assertions of  those whose profession is to objectively report on what's really happening in our world, as well as those representing our institutions here in our country: "...a nation hopelessly divided...descending into chaos...at war with itself...hapless/helpless in responding to the virus and mounting deaths..." I'm here to refute these claims and to recruit your assis...

Estate Planning: Watch Their Language!        Well, to be more accurate, to maintain my own journalistic integrity, I should state: read  and listen  attentively to 'their' words, the ones 'they' use to report the important news of the day, what  we need  or, according to the results of ratings, what we want  to know. In other words, the GOOD NEWS is that it starts  and ends  with you  and with me . I am compelled to write this post due in part to the increase with which people have been reporting to me their frustration associated with their news consumption lately, which is turn no doubt related dynamically to the daily negative news associated with COVID, the contentious election, and the amount of time we have had to watch and listen.  That Time of the Year: As you start to gather your pay stubs, 1099s, receipts for tax deductible expenses, and all the other 'stuff' your accountant or "Turbo Tax" prompts you to go and ...

Talking Politics: Pardon Me! Politics: Relating to government or the public affairs of a country -- honorable, leadership, stewardship, decency, humility... Or (?): George Bernard Shaw: "The last resort for the scoundrel...He knows nothing and thinks he knows everything, which points clearly to a political career"        It's not been 24 hours and I find myself not only feeling compelled but full of opportunities to talk to you here about some of the dimensions of what has occurred in an around our nation's capitol recently that has political, social, and even psychological implications for all of us. And, of course, I will attempt to do so in a gently provocative manner, always in good taste (a matter of friendly debate, I suppose). Some lesser covered stories, points of view that deserve our collective consideration: Ins and Outs (of the White House): People moving out, people moving in...𝅘𝅥𝅯 A GRACEFUL EXIT:  Not only was Donald Trump's exit without fanfare, b...

Getting Outside Ourselves, Getting Ourselves Outside: Inside Out! Rerun? "Don't tell me you're going to quote that Pixar film again!" No, actually the use of 'Inside Out' here is simply a convenient way to cover two ideas with one term, one which might catch your eye and prompt (or provoke!) you to think about two trends against which I find myself coaxing many of you lately: the trend to go inside yourself and become too 'me' centered ('selfie' these days) versus a view toward others and their needs; and staying indoors to a degree which is both unnecessary and even unhealthy, neglecting the healthy benefits of what's waiting right outside  your door. Staging a Comeback: Erik Erikson, whose psychosocial stages of development have been a focus of more than one post here, referred to the 7th stage of life as "Generativity versus Stagnation" --the choice to show interest and invest in other people (the future generation for Erikson)...

Mass Media Migration -- WhatsApp?!  "People moving out, people moving in...🎝" "What's Going On...?🎜" Constant, Continuous Connectivity: For most business leaders and us 'end users' (i.e., purchasers and users of stuff, including messaging apps), one word that is always  part of the conversation is speed  ("I feel the need, the need for speed" -  Maverick to Goose in "Top Gun"). A constant stream of new digital technologies is introducing previously unimagined levels of connectivity, data access, and automation...(including this blog😀). Constant  -- even during the brief time since I conceived of this particular post and started committing it to print (about 24 hours), it is not only likely but certain that a plethora of new apps have been developed, patented, and downloaded by many of you (maybe even in your sleep, depending on the "terms of agreement" you checked), which in turn displace others which have fallen out of f...

Wincing, not quite Convincing: Gross, Gag Me with a Spoon! For Your Consumption: A slight change of pace, an opportunity to cleanse your pandemic and political palate, I bring you a topic that may initially sound pleasing to your ears, like an Italian opera: Tenebria Molitor🎝 Okay, maybe more like a Gregorian chant𝇑 (haven't you ever seen a Gregorian clef?). Oh, all right, before you go to google and spoil all my fun, this is the technical term for a growing food source, that is both sustainable and touted as a good source of protein, which has gotten the green light to start getting incorporated into European menus (just when you thought it was getting safe to go out to eat again) -- MEALWORMS! Which are the larval form of the mealworm beetle, a species of darkling beetle - Yum!...YUK! Caveat Emptor: While we can anticipate that these little buggers will initially show up in the same places that tofu and the like first made their maiden voyage as a delicacy, imagine how the othe...

Taking Inventory of Your...Ranklements (?!)   What is: "A complex, multi-layered emotion that has been described as a mixture of disappointment, disgust, anger and fear" (Oh My!). Some psychologists who study emotions and cognition have characterized it as a mood or secondary  emotion (sure sounds primal to me, how about you?).  In Abundance: While TP, PPE, vaccines, and other essentials have been wanting at different points throughout the past several months, we have not been short of any of the preceding feelings, which culminate in different degrees of ranklement . Also known as RESENTMENTS!  Well, why didn't you just say the word in the first place, why put me through this silly guessing game -- it make me, well, annoyed , bordering on indignant , for treating me in this patronizing manner...and, after having to endure  the news lately and the continued distancing, treating me this way, is like adding   insult  to injury !      ...

Sufferin' Succotash! Let's NOT  Mince Words: Critical Thinking,   Refined Language Casualties of COVID, Plague of Politics: In addition to the horrific numbers of people known to us who have succumbed to the COVID-19 virus (and now, its variant), embedded in the ongoing, literally 24/7 coverage of political rancor in our nation, are two casualties that need our individual and collective attention. Namely, the decline in critical thinking and the refined language that frequently accompanies it (or at least used to). Timely, Overdue, Urgent: If the mainline news coverage and random sampling of quotes from any presidential debates (whether primary or final) are a reflection of our society, we have become both 'deaf' and 'mute'. That is, our demand for reasoned debate and refined articulation of ideas, instrumental elements of our lifeblood as a civilized society, are on life support, badly in need of being revived, in order for us to once again believe we have the ...

Resolving...Part 3: Building, Stumbling Blocks         I resolve to only write on resolutions this third and final time -- that's it, I quit, I mean it this time...(this should be relatively easy to keep...). OK, so you've picked a new years resolution, or at least identified an area of opportunity to enhance your well-being throughout 2021 and beyond. Whether you already established an area mentioned in the last post as the 'building blocks of life' or the 'three engagements', as areas in your life that could use some tweaking. What are the essential ingredients for a successful resolution 'campaign'? Conversely, what are the most common pitfalls, the stumbling blocks on the road to success, to steer clear of? Some are obvious whereas others subtle and perhaps just outside our awareness. This, then, is an attempt to increase your awareness and sustain your vigilance regarding those to factor in and out of your recipe for resolutions. Parallel Lines: Whe...

Resolving...Part 2 - Defying the Odds, Getting Even Odds Are:  Against you, apparently. That's probably what you concluded from the stats posted here a few days ago regarding the prognostications on behalf of those willing to make a New Years resolution. Not intended to give you indigestion nor discouragement this early in the year most of you hoped would bring better news and encouragement. Instead, the sobering statistics are intended as an early 2021 wakeup call. Similar to one you might receive from a financial adviser every so often, to make sure you are maintaining a realistic financial plan and associated habits, in order to reach your ultimate financial goals. Consistently, whether the focus is physical or fiscal health, a significant percentage of Americans' habits are out of alignment with their stated goals. I will give you some simple ways to both organize your goal setting (including new years resolutions) and strategies to be more successful, all within the space ...

Resolving, Revolving, Dissolving...Bowling!        In writing this, I'm already breaking a resolution (how many of you can say you've already broken one just a few days in?), one that is not so much a 'perennial' that comes out only on December 31st, but more constant throughout each year. Namely, to refrain from indulging through discussion or digestion in literary form, that which is trending, or faddish: "It's what's trending, you know...it's what everyone's reading...you mean you didn't see that movie or Netflix series yet?!" And, of course, at this time of year (I'm actually behind the trend by about a week already!) there are those omnipresent advice columns regarding New Years resolutions, that are about as great in number as the lists of what's out  from 2020 (we all know what we wish for here) and what's going to be trending in  for '21. A few columns that showed up on my computer thanks to 'cookies' (someth...