Gary Varner (Page 3)

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Change Is A Fickle Muse

Why do I seem to get restless and sometimes embrace change as a curative? Is it boredom? Do I accept or settle too early on some arrangement, thing, or situation before the idea’s baked enough? Or is that we humans should probably never stick to one plane of thinking

Desert Winter

When all is said and done, winter probably gets vote for favorite season. I say probably because it is a complicated concept to be definitive about. A frequent topic here (eight blog posts so far), I enjoy exploring what winter means to me and how I embrace its annual season

Ambivert, Anyone?

I’ve always felt I needed to explain, in conversation or friendship, that innately I’m an introvert. Over the years, however, and thanks to corporate life demands, I’ve learned how also to be a successful extrovert. What that really means is I’ve learned the dubious art of

Resonate

Modern alternate definition: to produce a positive feeling, emotional response, or opinion Urban dictionary: a long-winded and fancy way to over dramatize, “I agree.” This first usage is fairly recent (the second just tongue-in-cheek). The first is also a hijack example, creating an interesting and evocative new meaning from a

Opsimath

Some of us spent our youth studying good works and exited college with a degree or two. Others instead bloomed later in life, becoming opsimaths in their pursuit of more learning. Opsimath: one who begins to learn or study late in life. Not exactly a well-known Greek word, but there

Glimmers

Now and then, in doing our work, we experience brief, almost metaphysical flashes of positive feelings. These are glimmers, magical feedback moments telling us we’re doing good work and on the right path. Maybe our art or writing is affecting someone, or the hard work is paying off and

Down the Middle

Not sure exactly when I started my odd practice of preferring to walk down the middle of the road. During my adolescence, I remember doing this much to the delight of my friends (and horror of my parents if they knew), but can’t remember why I did it. I

Becoming Our Thoughts

I often remember this quote first heard long ago when I began learning how to manage my stress and anxiety: If you want to know what you were thinking six months ago, look in the mirror. – Deepak Chopra We truly are what we think, conditioning and molding ourselves by our

Literally or Figuratively or Virtually?

Time for another installment of catachresis (using the wrong word for the context). These goofs can become a malapropism (usually unintentionally humorous misuse or distortion of a word or phrase), but we’re focusing on words used innocently. Today’s case for the Minister to weigh in on: * Literally – Actually

Meeting Larry McMurtry

One of the most famous writers from Texas passed away this week. Larry McMurtry was a rare breed who charted his own path, committing every day to spend hours writing, no matter what. Fame and notoriety mattered little to him, yet likely that determination plus his natural character endured him