October 2019

October 29, 2019

The upside of today’s downsides

By Bob Sitze

In Current Events, Personal Power, Soul Searchings, Time

October 29, 2019

3 Min Read

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29October

(Today’s entry finds its inspiration in the *October 20, 2019 column by Pulitzer Prize-winning Chicago Times columnist Mary Schmich, “What if this time of chaos is the beginning of something better?” .) It’s not news that we live in more-than-interesting times—they’re downright difficult, actually. All around us—sometimes inside of us—fear, confusion, anger and depression seem stronger than weMORE...

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October 28, 2019

*Another Kindness Institute

By Bob Sitze

In Arcania, Current Events

October 28, 2019

2 Min Read

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28October

In case you missed it, this announcement: The University of California at Los Angeles has recently announced the establishment of the **UCLA Bedari Kindness Institute. The institute will be devoted to the study and promotion of kindness as a personal and civic virtue. The donors are especially interested in how kindness connects with other social sciences, and with the practice of mindfulnessMORE...

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October 25, 2019

Elderly exegetics – November 2019

By Bob Sitze

In Arcania, Current Events, Soul Searchings, Time

October 25, 2019

6 Min Read

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25October

  Today’s entry continues a series of short musings about lectionary texts that may soon appear in your line-of-sight. These entries may prove helpful in interpreting a Sunday’s appointed lessons with sensitivity to the realities faced by those who are older. November Background It seems appropriate to look at biblical texts from the viewpoint of older adults, who were among the originalMORE...

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October 24, 2019

I don’t know

By Bob Sitze

In Current Events, Personal Power, Soul Searchings, Words

October 24, 2019

3 Min Read

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24October

After years of life-experiences and advanced education, I know a lot. One of the most valuable things I know is that there are a lot of things I don’t know. At this time in my life, I’m finding more occasions where I lack knowledge. This truism became apparent during a recent trip Chris and I took to Costa Rica. Over and over again, we found out that much of what we were experiencing was totallyMORE...

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October 21, 2019

In the dark

By Bob Sitze

In Arcania, Current Events, Pleasure/Pain, Soul Searchings, Words

October 21, 2019

3 Min Read

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21October

Ever experience total darkness? The kind where you literally can’t see your hand in front of your face? I’ve had experiences like that—in remote settings in another country, the inside of a cave and in my own home during a widespread power outage. I remember realizing that I couldn’t rely on my otherwise dependable eyes to help me determine where I was. Until the momentary panic dissolved, I feltMORE...

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October 17, 2019

Fiddling while Rome burns

By Bob Sitze

In Current Events, Lifestyle, Lifework, Personal Power, Soul Searchings

October 17, 2019

3 Min Read

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17October

For a few weeks now, this phrase has been like a non-musical brain worm, stuck in the part of me that wonders about the state of the world, and my place in it. You know the legend—Nero playing music while the city burned around him, and later blaming Christians for the fire. Obviously, Nero could be analogous to any fatally flawed leader. That would be an easy bit of mental gymnastics, as inMORE...

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October 14, 2019

The mind of Christ

By Bob Sitze

In Mind/Body, Soul Searchings, Words

October 14, 2019

3 Min Read

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14October

  I’ve always loved this concept—beautifully detailed in Philippians 2:1-11. The passage summarizes much of what Jesus was like, characteristics that place him on a pedestal of admiration, someone his followers—me included—hope to emulate. It has occurred to me recently that, because I’m an older adult now, I just might have a special vantage point for putting this “mind of Christ” idea intoMORE...

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October 10, 2019

Parsing aches and pains

By Bob Sitze

In Lifestyle, Mind/Body, Personal Power, Soul Searchings, Words

October 10, 2019

4 Min Read

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10October

One of the challenges I face in growing older is discerning when to pay attention to hurts, twinges and discomforts that may or may not be signs of something serious. One reaction: To disregard all but the most persistent or painful problems. Another response—characterized as hypochondria—is to worry that each symptom is a warning sign of an underlying disease or malfunction. I live squarely inMORE...

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October 8, 2019

Chronic old age?

By Bob Sitze

In Arcania, Lifestyle, Personal Power, Soul Searchings, Words

October 8, 2019

3 Min Read

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08October

  “Old age is a chronic condition.” So goes a supposedly clever bumper-sticker. The meaning seems clear: Being or getting old is like having a disease that won’t go away. As you might guess, I will spend the following paragraphs fuming at the concept behind this condensed negativity. First a look at “chronic”. Derived from chronos (time), it’s usually associated with something difficult thatMORE...

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October 3, 2019

BONUS FEATURE: Elderly exegetics

By Bob Sitze

In Soul Searchings

October 3, 2019

4 Min Read

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03October

Today’s entry continues a new FullofYears feature: Short musings about lectionary texts that may soon appear in your line-of-sight. These entries may prove helpful in interpreting a Sunday’s appointed lessons with sensitivity to the realities faced by those who are older. Background It seems possible that we can look at a text from the viewpoint of older adults. They were among the originalMORE...

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