Category: Gratitude

As a brief followup to my post about the merits of keeping a gratitude journal, this week I’d like to present a list of 25 things I’m grateful for. I hope this helps inspire you to put together your own list. Here, in no particular order, are some of the people, places, things, and organizations for…

Last Friday marked the third anniversary of my launching this blog, and for today’s post I’d like to revisit the subject that inspired me to begin writing these posts in the first place: gratitude. Specifically, I want to focus on gratitude journals. These are mindfulness tools that can help you look for and emphasize the…

In dealing with a few medical issues recently, I had some exasperating experiences that reflected a bit poorly on the organizations providing the healthcare services. Don’t get me wrong, I have immense respect and admiration for the people and institutions that provide care. But once in a while, there are mix-ups, unnecessary delays, miscommunications, and…

I like to think I’m somewhat savvy when it comes to technology. Yes, I was slow to embrace the Internet, smartphones, and even answering machines. But I’ve been writing about tech for more than four decades, often covering topics months or years before they hit the mainstream. One of the areas I’ve focused on in…

NASA’s Artemis II mission reminded me of the Apollo journeys to the moon that fascinated me as a kid. And it should remind each of us about our natural need to keep learning and exploring. Opportunities to learn new things are all around us. But what makes it special is not just the learning, but…

Do you ever find your inner voice berating you, even using unpleasant language to describe yourself when you fail to achieve a goal or when you make a mistake? I do now and then, and I’d like to stop this practice because it doesn’t do any good and can actually do a lot of bad.…

For years, my family has had a New Year’s tradition of sharing our highlights of the previous year and goals for the next. We give it a lot of thought, make lists for each category, and then read them out loud to each other. This has always been a rewarding and fun experience. Only recently,…

Recently I appeared as a guest on a podcast focused on positivity, and one of the questions the host asked me was what advice I would give to someone who is feeling depressed or defeated during the holidays. Not being a mental health professional, I didn’t feel qualified to provide an authoritative answer. But based on…

For this special Thanksgiving edition of the “Embracing Gratitude and Positivity” blog, I’m taking a look at some of the things that make people thankful. For me, what comes to mind first are probably the same sources of gratitude many would mention: family, friends, the necessities of life, nature, and stable health. This year in…

Most of us end up losing some of our capabilities over time. The key to accepting these limitations, I think, is to acknowledge the loss, come to accept it, and then focus on what we still can do. In my case, for example, I had to give up driving after experiencing a cardiac arrest in…

One of the drawbacks of being immunocompromised, which I am due to medications I need to take as a kidney transplant recipient, is dealing with side effects such as skin cancer. I’ve faced this issue many times over the years, and fortunately have kept it from becoming a major problem by staying on top of…

It seems unbelievable. On our 9th wedding anniversary, my wife Reneé gave me a most extraordinary gift—one of her kidneys. Oct. 25 will mark 30 years since that day, and I’m recalling many of the things we’ve been through together, including the quiet moments of joy that I might never have experienced if not for…

As I was writing a book about the importance of being positive, grateful, and resilient—and then telling the world about it—I faced challenges that forced me to take my own advice. And I don’t always want to do that! Indeed, many of the experiences I discuss in the book, Life Lessons, have actually been applicable to…

I’m excited to announce the release of my new book, Life Lessons: How I’ve Learned to Embrace Gratitude, Positivity, Resilience, and Joy. This book is a collection of insights, reflections, and personal stories. It recounts experiences that have shaped the way I approach life, cope with difficulties, and embrace opportunities. My hope is that Life Lessons will inspire…