Tag: personal growth
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When Loud People Pretend to Be Experts
I used to hear strangers who were confident and talkative ramble on about certain subjects in a social setting and be wowed by their expertise, but I have a totally different opinion on that now. Since I retired and don’t have to be at my desk at certain hours, I’m free to enjoy long leisurely…
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New Year’s Resolutions, the Burning Bowl, and Personal Growth
Time for New Year’s resolutions and Burning Bowl intentions! It’s a great time of year to check your personal growth. Here, ducking out of a holiday party to send some cheer to absent friends. How My Burning Bowl Ritual Began Years ago, I made New Year’s resolutions. Usually the same ones, every year: lose weight,…
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The Third Degree of Passion?
Who says I’m not passionate? I guess I did. It’s a week for epiphanies, especially those of a very personal nature. I’m getting a chance to see myself through the eyes of others. We need that every now and then, to know how others see us. And we need to tell others, every now and…
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If I Call and Say “Don’t Come In”
While reading up on the latest in the Allen Lee case and why he said the things he did about his teacher’s method of teaching inspiring school shootings (as someone with an English degree, I understand his point, however ill-timed or misconstrued), I suddenly remembered a book that I started 10 years ago called “Breach.”…
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Secrets
My office cleared out early—Relay for Life, family problems, emergency dental work, scheduled time off—and I was left as one of only a few in the building and in charge of my office. The big talk at work is about the retirements being offered because there’s not enough money to pay Federal salaries. People have…
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Emotional Intensity: Good, Bad, and Narrow
Copyrighted by Lorna Tedder. Originally published in Third Degree and Rising. Since when is emotional a bad word? The ultra-stoic Big Daddy of my career field used to call me “emotional” when he’d read an analytical report from me that he didn’t like. In spite of that, if he needed someone to prepare a case…
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Staying Put, Allowing, Wringing My Hands
I have never been one to watch a friend drown. Pardon the analogy. This metaphor is not an easy one, given how I was buried alive in a watery, muddy grave as a small child, but drowning is how I see this situation. I have always, even to the point of being pulled under myself,…
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Defining the Path
Copyrighted by Lorna Tedder. Originally published in Third Degree Rising. Another milestone day! Tonight I graduate from the first phase of the certification program I’m working on for my career transition. It’s expensive but worth every penny to make some dreams come true. It may be a couple of years before I see the payoff,…
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Shopping for a Date and Other Very Disturbing Ideas
Copyrighted by Lorna Tedder. Originally published in Love in the Third Degree. I bought a new dress for this weekend’s date. That surprised me. I mean, it’s not like I’m in love. Or intend to be. I’m quite sober about most of the men I meet these days. After all, I have a closet full…
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The Adverbs of Life
Copyrighted by Lorna Tedder. Originally published in Love in the Third Degree. It’s the adverbs of life that are just killing me right now. There are certain things that I want answers to. Some things, I’ve wanted answers to for a long, long time. In some cases, I know eventually I’ll get them, but I…
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The Best and Worst of 2006
At the end of the calendar year, everyone looks back in review at the best and the worst. For me, I think the best and the worst are usually connected in some way. A death and rebirth kind of thing. Saying goodbye to an old way of life opens to something new that can be…
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Letting It Grow: A Lesson in Patience and Trust in the Universe
Wouldn’t it have been ridiculous if….? The house I live in now had a hot tub when we moved into it. Evidently, this house had been a real entertainment spot for the previous residents—a Colonel who entertained his lieutenants with back yard beer parties. We didn’t use the hot tub very much—it was later struck…
