A friend and I were walking around Mackinac Island in northern Michigan yesterday morning and we both noticed something worth repeating. The island, if you've never been, is free of motor vehicles. To move about the island you have three choices: (1) walk, (2) bicycle and (3) horse drawn carriage. It is a piece of heaven, geographically …
Tag: gregory hake
The Rube Goldberg Machine
According to Wikipedia, "A Rube Goldberg machine is a deliberately over-engineered machine that performs a very simple task in a very complex fashion, usually including a chain reaction. If you have seen the 1968 classic "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang," you may recall the scene in which Caractacus Potts (Dick van Dyke) was cooking breakfast for his children using …
Our Fascinating Universe
There is nothing like a short course in astronomy to put things into perspective. All human activity in the course of human history, apart from several short forays by a select few just outside of the earth's upper atmosphere, has taken place on this tiny planet in a small corner of our galaxy, amidst billions …
Unconditional Forgiveness: Amish Grace
A good friend of mine grew up in Amish country. She isn't Amish, but I always enjoy hearing stories of her childhood. While I know very little about the Amish, I feel I know a bit more after watching a Lifetime movie called Amish Grace Saturday evening. If you haven't seen it, here is the synopsis, provided …
The Logic of Failure
How well do you adapt to adversity? When you face complex situations in life do you tend to rise up or crumble under the pressure? If you feel that you have room for improvement I would encourage you to look into Dietrich Dorner's book, The Logic of Failure: Recognizing and Avoiding Error in Complex Situations. If you …
Sweat the Small Stuff
While large companies and governments appear to believe that the more money they spend or the more force they apply to change anything in life is more likely to cause the desired change, behavioral economics tells us that input and change are not always directly related when it comes down to individual choices. In fact, small changes can have huge effects while vast …
The Success of Love
The success of love is in the loving - it is not in the result of loving. Of course it is natural in love to want the best for the other person, but whether it turns out that way or not does not determine the value of what we have done. - Mother Theresa The …
The Hames: A Piece of Wood that Changed the World
Every once and a while you hear a story that knocks your socks off. I heard one such story three years ago this summer while mulling about an antique shop in Atlanta. The proprietor was a kind old Englishman and no matter what piece caught your eye, this gentleman was ready to tell its story. …
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If…
This morning I would like to issue a challenge to you, my readers, one that you are perfectly capable of meeting if you are honest with yourself, honest with your Creator and honest with your fellow man. The nature of this challenge is as simple as it is profound and if you aspire to be …
Patience and Life: Practical Matters
My wife gave me a fascinating book called "Leonardo's Notebooks" by H. Anna Suh. The book is a rich collection of artwork and writings, arranged in three sections: Beauty, Reason and Art; Observation and Order; and Practical Matters. I'm delighted to borrow from the third section this morning, Practical Matters. Da Vinci possessed one of the greatest …
Gregory Hake 