Finding Insights in the Garden: Lessons from Mediation Before convening a formal mediation meeting, I always have several private conversations with each party. This approach allows me to delve deeper into their perspectives and uncover the underlying issues. I ask questions that provoke introspection: Did the other person make… Read More »MEDIATION IS LIKE MAKING COMPOST
“Mother-in-law” – The most maligned role in our society. Does any little girl ever dream of becoming a mother-in-law? When you were pregnant with your baby (who is now your adult offspring who is married), were you eagerly anticipating becoming a mother-in-law? If you answered ‘Yes’ to either of these questions… Read More »Being a mother-in-law is no joke
<1340 words> Alyce fell in her basement a couple of months ago. She banged the back of her head quite hard but came away without any major injuries. There were some long-term effects though. Alyce, who has been living alone on her farm since her husband died about fifteen years ago,… Read More »Alyce doesn’t live here anymore
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A minimum of two people and an issue on which they disagree.
Add to the recipe the factors that the people each bring into the relationship:
Our values are what we judge to be important in life: our personal principles. The rules we live by. They typically originate in our culture but over time our values may shift as our relationship with our culture shifts (e.g. young adults and their elderly parents may share a culture but have very different values as regards to how kids are raised; dealing with garbage; ethnic diversity, and so on).
“Culture is the collective programming of the mind that distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from others.”[1]
Triggers: What sets you off causes a quick change in your mood/attitude, rooted often in values or cultural practices you hold dear would be called a trigger. For example a South African grandmother whose half-Japanese grandson slurps his tea. Tea slurping is what one does in Japanese culture. Not so in ‘polite society’ in South Africa.
<1281 words> I have a great deal of respect for wild elephants and am careful to show that respect by backing out of their way when they come walking down the road towards my car. I believe I’ve learned a thing or two about elephant culture in my multiple trips to… Read More »RESPECT & CURIOSITY: On Elephants and Others
<1344 words> My son gave me a Vitamix for Christmas. I’ve become pretty proficient at creating interesting and sometimes compelling smooth greenies as a result. I’ve developed quite a taste for them, in fact. It is a formidable machine. It is to blenders what the Lexus is to cars. Some might… Read More »The Speed of Trust – reflections upon
<1243 words> FOUR DECADES OF BEING A ‘SENIOR’ WARRANTS A CLOSER LOOK AT THE DIFFERENCES There are more and more forecasts that more and more of us will live to be one hundred. Our eligibility for Canada Pension kicks in at 60. For many of us that marks the beginning of… Read More »Four Decades of Being a ‘Senior’
<436 words> I was recently asked about my background in conflict management/resolution, and specifically, how many years’ experience I have in the field. I help people with all sorts of conflict – The inner conflict you have when you should have stood your ground but didn’t, which you still… Read More »“Eat your peas” and Conflict Resolution
<654 words and 2 links> Stress is a natural part of life. In limited doses it is good for you – for your brain and for your body. When your brain grabs hold of some old unresolved quarrel, though, and it simply won’t let go, you can end up in a… Read More »Get Beyond the Bad of Stress. But you Must Want To.
In preparation for my previous blog (YOU DO NOT HAVE TO FIRE NEGATIVE FRIENDS) I looked around on the Internet for quotes. I landed on one of my favourite sites www.businessballs.com where they listed an entertaining elaboration on the theme of whether a glass is half full or half empty. I… Read More »The Ongoing Debate about whether The Glass is Half-full or Half-empty
