Dimensions of the Self (Individual Excellence: Part 1-xii: Soul)

This blog is one of a chain constituting the ongoing writing of a manuscript for a non-fiction book tentatively entitled, Individual Excellence: The 4Ps of a Well-Spirited Life.  What follows is a continuation of the manuscript beginning with last week’s final paragraph. If we dare consider the combined impact, on a Gen Z consciousness, of […]

Craftsmanship as a Life Skill IV

This series of blogs has been about craftsmanship applied to shaping individual lives—mostly lives of recovery from addictive behaviours.  The organizing principle has been SMART Recovery’s 4-Point Program which looks like this: Building and maintaining motivation Coping with urges Managing thoughts, feelings, and behaviours Living a balanced life. Last week we finished with urges.  This […]

That’s the Way

In the autumn of 1970, on a cold, late November evening, I had returned home, on a windy weekend night, and turned my radio to CHUM FM, before falling asleep.  I remember only one song, and indeed it is the memory of that song that retains the memory of that night.  That tune was Immigrant […]

Two Images

There is a quiet but persistent voice inside telling me to write this blog prior to those on the role of purpose in a human life.  If you’re reading this, that voice won me over. I have always been affected by imagery. As I entered my late teens, art found a small way into my […]

“Minnesota” and the Place of Art

In SMART Recovery, where most of the readers of this blog come from, one of the components of building a balanced life is developing strong interests in areas that appeal, particularly to you.  One of the resources that has sustained me since childhood is music.  As the two-year anniversary of this blog approaches, I checked […]