Posts Tagged With ‘ Positive Intelligence ’

An Interview That Changed His Life It was late in the 1950s, and a Navy officer, fresh out of Annapolis, was hours into an interview with the admiral who single-handedly created the world’s first nuclear Navy through sheer willpower and determination. No one worked on one of his atomic subs who had not survived one of his interviews. In response to the softball question, “How did you stand in your class at the Naval Academy?” the young officer noted, with pride, his position as 59th in his class. He realized the admiral was not impressed with rank when his follow-up question was blunt-ended,... Continue Reading

Adults, who have returned to their parent’s home for any length of time for any possible reason, may resonate with this little story. On the surface, it’s simple, but the current of its implications runs deep. I was a fat kid. No getting around that. Eating my feelings was my standard approach to life going back as far as I can remember. Eventually, I ballooned to over 250 lbs. In high school, this meant I was the target of endless bullying. Desperation drove me to seek help from our family doctor, and a regime was proposed, which I grasped like a person drowning clings to a life preserver. I... Continue Reading

The funeral would start in about an hour. We need to leave the house in 10 minutes. Dad, moving toward the garage in his walker, announces that the toilet in his bathroom is overflowing. I sprint into action. Ten towels are needed to sop up the water sloshed onto the floor before I reach behind the tank and shut off the valve. Water spreads like syrup on pancakes, and my knees are wet from kneeling to turn off the flow. As torrential rain falls outside, the family makes its way to the cars in the garage and driveway. The stress in Dad’s voice has reached a panic level as he struggles to navigate... Continue Reading

A New Year, A Little Confusion, and Some Positive Intelligence Big questions and some confusion as the new year lifts off. It’s Monday morning, 02 January 2023, and I’m writing this before joining my family to watch the Rose Parade, something we look forward to every year. Before leaving the guest bedroom at the family home in Northern California, I took a few minutes to read a chapter in Stephen Mitchell’s new version of “Tao Te Ching,” which has become my carry-it-everywhere book these past months. I read a chapter, or sometimes, a line or two, every morning and spend the rest of the... Continue Reading