Go slower

water droplets on a leafAs I was going to empty the trash yesterday, I noticed these amazing tiny water drops on a leaf that fell to the ground. If I had been focused on my task, I would have missed the beauty.

The humidity level, outside temperature and cloud cover provided the perfect environment for these droplets to form. The condensation would only be there for a brief moment in time. I had to savor the beauty right then or miss out.

Today, take a few minutes longer to do one of your normal tasks. You might be surprised at what you see!

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Medium

Along the trail to Hanging Lake, ColoradoSo, I wrote a post over at Medium. It’s a new blogging platform that has some great posts by a huge variety of people. What do you think?

A really cool thing is that you can comment on individual paragraphs, rather than waiting to the end of the post. (However, you must create an account.)

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Great coffee

cafe-buesteloCafe Bustelo is not great coffee. But it is when you brew it the right way. Read on…

1. Use 1/3 very finely ground espresso coffee, such as Cafe Bustelo. Lavazza makes some better ground espresso coffee, but it costs twice as much.

2. Use 2/3 of your regular coffee.

3. If you like to save money, use 1/3 of your regular coffee and mix it with 1/3 of some ultra-cheap stuff. (I definitely avoid brands like Folgers, but if you go to Big Lots, you can pick up some decent coffee for very little cash.)

4. Mix your dry coffees and put the blend in an air-tight container that you’ll store in your freezer.

5. Use a coffee press. Put one tablespoon of coffee per cup of finished coffee. Pour boiling water over the fresh grounds. This step is important – use a big plastic spoon to stir the coffee and hot water mix. Then let it steep for five minutes before you push the press down.

6. Pour whatever coffee you aren’t going to drink right away into a thermos.

7. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I am lazy. I do not grind my beans unless someone gives them to me that way.

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Income inequality

Income Gap ©2013 Paul Merrill“Both liberal and conservative economists agree that, yes, income inequality has increased since the 1970s.” -Andy Serwer, the managing editor of Fortune magazine. That is from a telling editorial he wrote in the September 2, 2013 issue.

Mr. Serwer quoted several statistics from the US Congressional Budget Office October 2011 report, including, “between 1979 and 2007 … [for] the top 1% of earners, income grew 275%, and for the bottom 20% of earners, household income grew only 18%.”

Andy went on to basically say he did not have a solution, except that increasing the value of education is a start. I completely agree with that approach.

A Wells Fargo ad just four pages later was an interesting juxtaposition – touting the value of their customers taking out home equity loans to pay for things like a child’s Tuscan (Italy) wedding.

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No sidewalks

nice neighborhoodI have always been baffled by this fact – some of the fanciest neighborhoods in Denver have no sidewalks. Here are some possible reasons why:

1. The residents never walk (which I know is not the case).

2. There is so little traffic that pedestrians need not fear fast-moving vehicles.

3. Everyone who drives in those neighborhoods is a good driver.

4. No pedestrians in those neighborhoods ever walk at dusk or dawn.

5. The city planners were trying to create a feeling of being in a rural area.

6. It’s a secret jab from local governments in recognition of the fact that the residents pay a smaller percentage of their income in taxes than the average sidewalked neighborhood’s residents. “You pay more taxes, we’ll give you sidewalks.”

Now, over to you – what is a reason you can come up with?

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It’s not going to happen

Rusty 1969 Ford ThunderbirdIt’s healthy to realize that some dreams are not going to happen. The owner of this 1969 Ford Thunderbird may never find the time or energy to turn his rusting beast into a gleaming factory condition sedan.

One way to deal with the loss of a dream is to get a lot of distance between you and that dream. In the case of the old Thunderbird, the owner should sell it to an antique car parts dealer. Then he will not be reminded of his unfinished project – and the massive amount of work ahead – every time he sees the old beast.

Another way to move forward when facing a lost dream is to pass that dream on to someone who can finish your project. You will first need to convince them of the value of your dream. In the case of the old Thunderbird, that may be impossible for the owner. But sharing your dream may bring joy to another!

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The sadness of how little it’s worth

Old Tennis RacketsWhat once held value is now worth just a little above zero. These two tennis rackets are worth something to someone, but finding that someone would not be worth my time spent looking.

Ebay is a great avenue to sell many things. But the market for old tennis rackets is so small that few are selling there.

I think both of these rackets are beautiful. Sadly, my family does not have the space to store them nor the desire to put them up on a wall. So the thrift shop gets them. And at least a charity will benefit a small amount from the sale.

Here’s another tale of wasted beauty.

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The incredible dandelion

dandelionsMost people love to hate dandelions. A field of fertile puffy seed balls, waiting to spread their beauty to the next closest lawn, strikes fear in the hearts of most North American lawn-keepers.

But ah – their bright yellow flowers – and exquisite soft seed balls. If you stop to think about it, they are amazing. What an incredible thing that the seed puffs always turn out almost perfectly spherical. And the flowers are unfailingly the same brilliant saturated yellow.

Enjoy them for a moment – if not on your own lawn, on your neighbor’s.

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A need for validation

Honda CRXWhy is it that we feel better when someone famous does what we are already doing? It’s our basic human need to be validated.

I experienced that recently. I was watching Top Gear, a British show about cars and driving fast. The most famous of the show’s hosts, Jeremy Clarkson, was interviewing Slash, the guitar player for an 80s rock band. Both of them revealed that they previously owned and enjoyed the Honda CRX (pictured). I owned one too. I loved that car, and so did Heather. While we were dating, my choice of that car impressed her.

We appreciate when our friends say they like something we like. When a celebrity says they like what we like, it’s somehow even better. At some level, we expect that famous people are so far removed from our lives that they wouldn’t experience average things like we do. Recently, Mr. Clarkson’s garage has been home to several Ferraris, and Slash has owned multitudes of Aston Martins. Both brands’ offerings are a bit more expensive than Hondas.

When was the last time a celebrity’s choice mirrored yours?

Photo courtesy of Grant C.

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We are different, and that’s good

Threshold from TargetTarget has a new line of housewares: Threshold. Some of the stuff is awesome and some is junk.

I found it interesting that on one store shelf, there were two items that gave me complete opposite reactions. One item I loved and the other I hated. That reminded me that many people love the thing I hated and many people hate the thing I loved. I delight in how different we are!

Footnote: If you check back on Friday, I’ll reveal in the comments which of these two things I loved and which thing I hated.

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