Gary Varner

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Latest — May 30, 2023

Plans, Schedules, and Self-Inflicted Chaos

Let’s face it: some like to plan, some don't, and plans don't always work out. Not me! I’m an experienced planner, process-oriented and obedient to the plan. Ha! Well, most of the time. Okay, SOME of the time. Sigh. I love the sounds deadlines make, as they go

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Plan Z

Whenever there’s a process with external influences, or involving two or more parties, the wise planner has a primary plan with objectives and goals… and a hip-pocket Plan B, just in case. Always best to have at least one pre-thought-out alternate plan to keep moving forward should something burp

Productively Obsessing

Over the years, therapists decided that “obsessive” is a bad word. Like many hijacked words or phrases, obsessive usage shifted... this time to the negative and used to label a person's serious problem. Websters, obsession: the domination of one’s thoughts or feelings by a persistent idea, image, desire, feelings,

Live 5 x 3

Live Balanced * Do frequent media black-out days and analogue days away from digitals. * Pursue dreams and passions fervently. * Spend time with friends and loved ones. Live Generously * Give and expect nothing in return. * Like and love without barriers. * Share your time and attention. Live Harmoniously * Compromise openly and avoid “I”

Are You The Noun, Or The Verb?

When someone asks, “What do you do?” how do you answer? Most day-job people answer with their job title. Creatives also tend to respond with a noun: “I’m a writer,” “I’m a painter,” “I’m a gardener,” etc. We’re conditioned to crave labels, rather than focus on

The Joy of Small

Marketers of consumer goods pretend to care about making us happier, yet clearly they have an ulterior motive as a higher goal. We yearn to take big bites out of the happiness pie. The instant gratification, the "If I buy this it will make me happy" are alluring solutions. Those

Doors & Paths

A life lived long and well (or short or not-so-well) is a continual series of choices, appearing metaphorically as doors or paths. Open a door, and the universe’s equivalent of Monty Hall (Let's Make a Deal TV game show host) will either celebrate with you on what’s behind

The Silence of Solitude

Ever think about solitude, and the silence that comes when you don’t speak or have noisy external influences? Not being alone or lonely, but intentional isolation to improve creativity or enjoy quality think time. Nature spoke to me in the guise of silence. The quieter I become, the more

Has My Ship Sailed?

Why do I keep writing? Why do I continue to work on embracing a creative life and spend day after day wrestling with words, having just crossed the 70th invisible benchmark of a life? Society, as least in the U.S., embraces ageism. I likely won’t find a mainstream

Cogito, Ergo Sum

Over the years, I’ve grown to love linguistics as it relates to words, their etymology, challenges to use, and the nerd-like joy of discovering new (to me) words. Of my few educational regrets is never learning Latin. Not as a great conversation starter, but since Latin can be the