What a nice delightful surprise to hear from you, especially after reading, but not yet finishing, your book! Thanks for stopping in.

Like you talk about in your book, the power of connectivity cannot be ignored. Connecting with someone is almost like taking a power supplement. There’s a certain amount of electricity that seems to go back and forth between two humans who have the potential of lifting one another up.

Have peace and quiet (solicitude) with your higher power is equally important. I guess having a balance between the two can be quite potent.

I am looking forward to the 20 stories at the end about remarkable human beings throughout history who used the power of connection to accomplish fabulous things!

I completely relate to what you described in your post. Like you, and I suspect most of your blog readers, my work is important to me and I put a lot of time, effort and energy into it. Periodically, I hit that energy flat line and need to take a break and do something completely different like spend time with friends, see a movie or just go explore something different and stimulating. I do find that those periodic times to connect with other are little energy boosts for me. These moments of human connection throughout the day keep the joy in my life. Ned Hallowell, a friend of mine who is an author on connection and former Harvard Medical School instructor, recommends that we need “human moments” on average every four hours. That’s why i try to have lunch with my wife Katie or a friend most days and take periodic coffee breaks. Recently, my coauthor Carolyn Dewing-Hommes invited me on a walk so that we could catch up. That was a great break for me because it involved exercise and being with a friend who energizes me.

Thanks for mentioning my book in your post. I glad you’re enjoying it and i suspect you’ll especially like the 20 stories at the end of the book about remarkable human beings throughout history who used the power of connection to accomplish great things.

I can certainly relate to the sentiments of having a dog. I remember when I was a kid and my family would go on camping trips, taking the dog with us. We’d leave to go into town or something and I would always talk to the dog saying things like, “Now, you be a good girl, we’ll be back okay? You behave now!” She would always cock her head sideways like a cute little puppy. It was always endearing. I loved that dog – she grew up with me. Was always by my side and did everything I did.

Pajama day sounds groovy by the way!

PS – I declare monday’s as official pajama day – it allows me to be purposefully slovenly.

To my so-called “long-absent” friend – WELCOME BACK! You’ve been missed. How has the summer been going for you? I hope this finds you well.

I had to smile when you said “wekend of inertia” is not necessarily a bad thing. That’s true. And normally, I’m cool with it but not that weekend. I needed human companionship and so reaching out like that really helped. I guess with experience we can tell whether we are in need of the presence of another human being or if we are uncomfortable being alone.

I recognize that there’s always the possibility of the fear of being alone but to tell you the truth, I’m actually very comfortable with it. I love the solitude but too much of it is not a good thing. I guess that’s what I’m saying.

Believe it or not, even though I see “thousands of people” in any given year through my speaking engagements, it’s very easy to feel alone. Yes, I make wonderful connections but you know what I’m saying, right? It’s kinda like how a celebrity can be so famous and known by everyone in the world (not that I am one, hahaha, just giving you an example) but still feel alone. You know what I mean?

So, like I said before to the others, I’m glad I reached out because sometimes we need to do that. And it’s a miracle what happens when you take that bold step forward. Picture ET and the little boy making that connection. Wink wink.

I wonder who coined that phrase “idle minds is the devil’s workshop”? I’ll bet it’d be fascinating to find out how it originated.

One thing I think is true is that the more you exercise your brain muscles (i.e. reading, doing crossword puzzles, etc.), the less chance you have of encountering Alzheimer’s. Good point.

But like the others are saying here, sometimes we need a maintenance mode. I guess I didn’t care too much for it this time around. I was literally going nuts so I’m glad I reached out to a friend. That really helped a lot.

You’re right – the occasional solitude to reflect is very important – I totally agree with that.

I like how you put it – “temporary maintenance phase.” That’s a good one. When you think about it, your brain is absorbing a ton of stuff every single minute. It’s amazing to know just how much it’s taking on. No wonder we need a maintenance period, as you say.

Thanks for chiming in.

Whooooooooa … be gentle with yourself.
A weekend of ‘inertia’ is not such a bad thing.!

Being the ‘driven’ person that you are, had
you scheduled yourself some ‘down time’, you no
doubt would have accepted it more easily than
this down time, that sort of sucker punched you.

Maybe you can use this past weekend as a lesson
for your future. Next time you notice this low
energy, just embrace it for the time.
Tell yourself that you need the re-charge that doing
absolutely nothing brings. It’s at that point where
you notice -IT- that you plan how to move forward.

AND… it was listening to the ~messages~ that really
got your butt in gear. Bless those messages.

Your long absent friend,
Deb ~ wink

And research shows that if you keep your mind active often, it is less likely that Alzheimer’s disease would occur.

Nitas last blog post..A Child’s Admonishment