What Matters

  • Our Iceberg Lives

    Early in our lives we are told about icebergs and how only 10% of the ice is visible above the surface. The same can be said about the lives we live. In fact, most people will only use 10% of their potential over their lifetime. That’s a hard fact that most of us will...

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  • Forgettable Memories

    Over the years Mable had made a collection of the nice notes that others had given her. She saved them in chronological order. Now as she realized that her days were numbered, she decided to review these notes as she relived her life. The original notes were a...

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  • Embracing a Humble Life

    Mary grew up during the Great Depression. Living with her family in rural West Virginia, she learned to do nearly everything that was necessary for survival. There was no money to buy things. Her parents believed in a simple life and also in education. The only trip...

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  • Advice that Sticks

    What is something we give and receive? Need a hint? It’s also something that is often discarded. Give up? Let’s explore the subject of advice. We give lots of advice, and we also receive a fair amount of advice intended to be guidance. Can you think of advice you have...

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  • The Dark Side of Self-Awareness

    Dorothy had always excelled after everything she did. She was the first in her class from kindergarten through law school. She was a star lacrosse player. She had a drive that was truly exceptional. But that excellence came with a price. She was so self-conscious that...

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  • Curiosity and Learning

    Dr. Givens had just had a difficult meeting with the Governor of her state. The Governor had received numerous complaints that graduates of the university were functionally illiterate. “They can’t do anything, and they don’t seem to recall anything they learned,” the...

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  • Becoming Curious

    Zach was anxious. It was his turn to present in the What Matters series at his senior center. Every resident was asked to do a presentation of what matters in their life to their friends at the center. Zach had chosen curiosity. After introducing his topic, Zach...

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  • Artificial Intelligence and Curiosity

    It was a competition that few in the country had ever heard about: the selection of All American Roses. This competitive lasted two years as roses were judged on disease resistance, hardiness and vigor, floral quality, and the overall structure of the rose plant....

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  • The Centipede Effect

    In 1871, Katherine Craster published a short poem called The Centipede’s Dilemma. The poem goes like this: A centipede was happy-quite! Until a toad in fun Said, “Pray, which leg moves after wich?” This raised her doubts to such a pitch, She fell exhausted in the...

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  • Starting Small

    Chang Yen was born in 1937 in Taiwan. Growing up, she was witness to the horrors of war as Japan occupied Taiwan. When she was 8, she began physical and emotional care for her brother. It was her father’s death, that lead her to become more engaged with her Buddhist...

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