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I’m sure you have driven on an interstate highway and rolled your eyes while looking in the rear-view mirror at a car weaving around the slower moving traffic.  “What’s the hurry?” They zip on past you and continue their antics as they rush toward their destination.  Maybe they have a medical emergency, are impatient, or just plain rude.  No matter the reason, I’m sure the

  In the past six weeks, life has taken a dramatic turn for three families in our circle of close friends. No, make that four. I will include Cathy and me. Why all at once? Look past the details, Peter. What does the big picture look like? Family 1: A husband left a job he loved. The poor leadership skills of his boss reduced his vocation to just-a-job. It was difficult to watch the gradual but systematic weathe

New life-experiences are filled with uncertainty. They can be downright terrifying or they can bring joy and a sense of satisfaction. It all depends on our perspective and our attitude. Take Tux, for instance. He’s the Samoyed launching himself into a wave. Now, he is a sled dog who is genetically predisposed to loving winter. He’s got a thick double-coat of fur which is made to protect him

The other day on my drive to work,  I heard a deejay report on his segment, Four Random Facts, a morsel of useless information about something called a Quarter-life Crisis. I don’t even remember what the tidbit was because I was so damn annoyed. I’m sure we all have seen, or even know someone who is having a Mid-life crisis. I don’t need to explain the details. That phrase and its connotat

Have you ever met someone and thought, “Well she’s certainly full of herself”? It’s called arrogance. Conversely, have you ever met someone who speaks softly and won’t look you in the eye when they speak? Well, that’s someone who lacks self-confidence. It’s not pleasant to be around either one of those individuals. Thankfully, the majority of the people I know who are reading

Having been a dog trainer since 2006, I could proclaim to be a Master of my trade due to my years of experience. However, over the past 6 weeks, I’ve had defining moments that challenged every ounce of my knowledge, experience, and emotions. They reinforced my belief that I am no Master. While sitting on a cold tile floor of a veterinarian’s Quiet Room, I gently stroked the head of a dog, Luigi, that

It was 10:45 pm on a Saturday night when my cell phone rang. I told Cathy, “It’s Pam. She’s probably butt-dialing. If it’s important she’ll leave a message.” 1 missed call. 1 new voicemail: Pam sounded distraught. “Peter. My Destiny is gone. I don’t know what to do. I don’t even know where to look. Please call me when you get this.” After I brushed my teeth

Having been unemployed for 10 months, I learned some simple lessons that I think are worthy of sharing. Here they are: 1. A skilled and experienced instructor does not equate to being a good teacher. 2. Sometimes, a struggling student has an inexperienced, unskilled, or ineffective teacher, or a combination of those qualities. 3. A good teacher is always a good student too. 4. Sometimes, we are better off redire

I didn’t shake hands, hug, or talk to all of my classmates at our 30th high school reunion last night. I will admit there were a few people in attendance whom I did not recognize. I had to covertly ask someone I did know, “Do you know who that is?” I will also freely admit that I stayed pretty close to my comfort zone of well-established friendships. And many of the others gravitated toward their fa

I enrolled in a 10-week long class to learn how to weld. Why not? I’m still unemployed and the state of Connecticut will pay for the training, so what have I got to lose. Electric Boat/General Dynamics is hiring literally hundreds of welders. They offer great pay, full benefits, and year-round employment. That’s a trifecta that I haven’t had in nearly 20 years. I was told that I would almo