The truth remains: Words enable or form thoughts. No words, no thoughts! This category contains Full of Years blogs that play with words. Those associated with old age, and those that add zest to living fully.
Current political discourse includes frequent references to “unhinged,” describing a wild, uncontrolled state of mind—sometimes accompanied by ranting, disconnection from reality or paranoid delusions. The term has evolved beyond its original definition—“lacking a hinge mechanism.” As is sometimes true, the meanings can get interesting when —see 1privilege— literal descriptions turn metaphoricalMORE...
This entry is part of an occasional series in which metaphorical ideas find their way onto your screen. Its roots are simple: When you look with fresh eyes, there may be life lessons to find in just about anything. Today: Unraveling or pruning? It’s tempting to think that life as we know it is unraveling. Current events seem to warrant that assumption: Russia’s war on Ukraine (and on the existingMORE...
Based on my mind-melds with doctors whom I follow mindlessly—I’m talking Drs. Oz, Phil and Seuss—I am convinced that my psyche needs more pity. Raw, unadorned sympathy—the kind that has others thinking, “I may have it bad, but look at that miserable Bob Sitze—How does he find any joy in life?” To help elicit your kind commiseration, these details: Because I wear a mask for untold hours, I have toMORE...
After our early morning exercise class, Chris and I take time for rest before going about our day. The hour of physical effort tires us out just enough to require some down time. But if we rest too long, 1inertia sets in, sometimes making it difficult to gather energy and will for what’s next. We live a fairly unscheduled calendar, so that’s not usually a problem. I’m a bit bothered, though, byMORE...
This blog is the second entry in a series exploring bullies and bullying. Add my observations to your own, so that together we can react to people who use force to influence the rest of us. Today a question about terrorism… Previously I wondered how bullying might emerge in a person. Another question that won’t go away: How might bullying take advantage of *terror? Philosophers who examine theMORE...
This entry is the first part of a series exploring the behaviors and attitudes of bullies. Add these observations to your own, so that together we can understand and perhaps thwart people who use force to influence the rest of us. Today some basic concepts….. Most of us don’t like to be bullied. So we dislike *bullies. That’s simple enough to understand, but perhaps there’s more to this tooMORE...
This entry is part of an occasional series in which metaphorical ideas find their way onto your screen. Its roots are simple: When you look with fresh eyes, there may be life lessons to find in just about anything…. Something I learned from seaside daytrips when I was a kid: Build sandcastles higher on the beach than the tide can reach. Too close to the pounding surf—whatever you built was wipedMORE...
(If you’ve been reading these entries for awhile, you’ll recognize legacy as a recuring idea. Today the same theme, but with a twist that might be helpful for your spirit in these times.) Some days it’s hard to find or hold a positive perspective about what’s occurring in our world. Years ago I wrote a book about *finding hope. I was convinced back then—as I am now—that one source for hope mightMORE...
For about twelve years, I’ve visited a resident—let’s call her Gladys—at the same assisted living facility where my mother spent her last years. We used to talk about current events, revived memories, family circumstances and wisdom of all kinds. Now, with Gladys’s dementia working its will, the back-and-forth of a satisfying conversation might seem impossible. That’s not true, thoughMORE...
It seems illogical to pursue winning at all costs, decimating so many assets that further efforts become unsustainable. That’s what Pyrrhus, King of Epirus, realized after his victories over the Roman armies in the Pyrrhic War (BCE 280-275). Although his casualties were fewer than the Romans, he couldn’t replace his troops as readily. “If we are victorious in one more battle,” he remarkedMORE...
BOB SITZE has filled the many years of his lifework in diverse settings around the United States. His calling has included careers as a teacher/principal, church musician, writer/author, denominational executive staff member and meat worker. Bob lives in Wheaton, IL.