by Dr. Chris Johnson | Jun 1, 2021 | Attention, Learning, Mindfulness
I’m excited about the planting I’ll do in our newly remodeled backyard! I can already see the cabbage-sized hydrangeas, smell the night blooming jasmine, and taste the home-grown tomatoes (on toasted white bread with mayo, cracked pepper, and bacon–like...
by Dr. Chris Johnson | May 20, 2021 | Consciousness, Learning, Mindfulness
I‘ve spent years wishing that I had more space in my life and on my calendar. My internal press to get stuff done, make things happen, be on top of it the right way . . . has always seemed to crowd out space, leaving less room for reflecting, creating, or doing what I...
by Dr. Chris Johnson | May 1, 2021 | Culture, Mindfulness, Practice
Signs of life are all around these days! Magenta magnolia trees in bloom and lightening yellow forsythia brighten our blocks. Chatter and chirping, squawks and bird song fill the early morning air. Beyond nature waking up, more of us are out biking and enjoying...
by Dr. Chris Johnson | Apr 1, 2021 | Consciousness, Mindfulness, Purpose
Each school day, my sister and I walked a quarter mile down the lane to catch the yellow school bus. Most of the time I loved those walks and our easy companionship as we waited for the bus to roll into our little valley. On days when it was windy or cold, I’d snuggle...
by Dr. Chris Johnson | Mar 1, 2021 | Learning, Practice, Purpose, Resilience
COVID, politics, grief, inequities – have ravaged & revealed. They’ve revealed our fault lines, our expectations, our fictions about how the world works, the personal stories we cling to like life rafts, trying to avoid the treacherous, uncertainties...
by Dr. Chris Johnson | Feb 1, 2021 | Learning, Mindfulness, Practice
The most common concern I hear from leaders of all stripes is, “There’s never enough time!” No time to respond to emails, follow up with people, attend every meeting, and indeed little time for an extra workout or catching your kid’s Zoom recital! Pause a moment to...
by Dr. Chris Johnson | Jan 1, 2021 | Consciousness, Mindfulness, Resilience
We crossed the threshold. It really is 2021! “Good riddance, 2020!” “Whew, glad 2020’s behind us.” “That year was a real sh*t show!” You’ve likely made these types of comments, I know I have. But the reality is that the pandemic’s not over and violence...
by Dr. Chris Johnson | Dec 1, 2020 | Consciousness, Mindfulness, Resilience
Prior to COVID-19 descending last spring, our lives were so oriented around time that we were hard-pressed to leave home without our posse of electronic devices strapped on, tucked in and gripped by our hands. We’d learned to live our lives by the clock, allowing...
by Dr. Chris Johnson | Nov 4, 2020 | Consciousness, Mindfulness, Purpose
What kind of difference do you want to make? It’s a compelling question anytime, and especially today. We’ve all been through the wringer this year as COVID’s taken its toll on our health and our family’s well-being, our work and livelihood, our experience of...
by Dr. Chris Johnson | Oct 1, 2020 | Consciousness, Mindfulness, Purpose
Life is all about choices. As Kenny Rogers famously crooned in his song, The Gambler: “You’ve got to know when to hold ’em Know when to fold ’em Know when to walk away And know when to run” It can be a bit like a giant card game: we’re...
