August 2012

Location, Location, Location

It’s a cute aphorism about the three most important attributes of real estate. It may be true, but think about how it relates to SIGNS for a minute. They can be well-written, well-illustrated, and have a strong message and still be useless. Just put them in the wrong place, too high, too low, between theContinue reading “Location, Location, Location”

Underpromise, Overdeliver

We were on the Big Island of Hawaii last year and tried out a night swim with manta rays with a local company. We suited up with full wet suits, listened to the safety talk and then the photographer/naturalist gave us a pep talk. “This is going to be the best outdoor experience of yourContinue reading “Underpromise, Overdeliver”

Songs Make a Difference

I’ve been listening to Allison Krause, Neil and Peggy Young and Celine Dion today. Songs, good songs, cast a spell. I feel them more than hear them, in my heart instead of with my ears. Sometimes the melody matters most and sometimes the lyrics dominate. The best songs, the ones that seem to live foreverContinue reading “Songs Make a Difference”

The Nonprofit Roller Coaster

I invested thirty-one years as executive director of two nonprofit organizations, a community nature center and a professional association. Both were somewhat like riding a roller coaster. You experience ups and downs each year, financially and emotionally. The predictable recession economies can lead the organization onto tracks that end in midair, making you wish youContinue reading “The Nonprofit Roller Coaster”

Made in America

Friends visiting us recently commented that they stopped in several shops looking for gifts for their kids back home, but memorabilia in the parks and tourist towns all seem to be made in China, Thailand or Vietnam. How does that recall the specific place, the experience? Pine and Gilmore, Harvard professors and experience economyContinue reading “Made in America”

Finding Frankl

I have run several miles almost every day for 36 years. I find that it rebalances my brain chemistry and keeps me from sliding into depression when things aren’t going well. Meditation and random acts of kindness also help, which brings me to Viktor Frankl, author of Man’s Search for Meaning (1946). Frankl’s self-transcendence concept (1965)Continue reading “Finding Frankl”

The Power of Questions

A couple of years ago we were in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and went to the Anne Frank house. It’s a powerful interpretive experience. Anne’s words projected on the walls of the small townhouse’s upstairs apartment are sobering. There is no guide, but at the end of the experience, a video screen shows footage of currentContinue reading “The Power of Questions”