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Thursday's Essay Preview

The first paragraph of the essay, "How long should you hold a grudge?," reads as follows: "Asked how long he holds a grudge, one fellow replied, 'Until hell freezes over.'  Another said, it depends on two things: 1) the intent, and 2) the gravity of the situation.  Yet another person said, 'If the person is an idiot, I simply consider the source and dismiss both the person and the comment or situation.'  And the final person asked, said, 'I turn the other cheek.'”
                                      
                                                                                                                                                                Thursday's Essay Excerpt - from the last paragraph of the essay

"Now, all this information comes a little late for my father-in-law mentioned in the opening examples.  There is no doubt he will take his grudges to the grave.  But, that makes me wonder.  He is 97-years-old!  Perhaps holding grudges is the key to longevity."           





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"Exotic Destinations" book has been released

This book is so new that Amazon has not added the front cover yet!   

Richard L. Weaver II has just released his new travel book Exotic Destinations... And Then Some! Share in Richard “Dick” Weaver’s experiences as he guides you through preparation for camping as well as taking cruises. Insights from South East Asia from a seasoned traveler who started in his teens with a trip around world. Dr. Weaver offers stories and tips from the Caribbean, Europe, Mediterranean, Australia, and Hawaii. To help prepare you for adventure get...  Exotic Destinations... And Then Some!   

The new book is available now at Amazon.com:  Exotic Destinations... And Then Some! by Richard L. Weaver II 

Thursday's Essay Preview

The first paragraph of the essay, "The need for patience," reads as follows: "When I instructed students in how to prepare for job interviews, I told them to turn a negative into a desired positive.  For example, when asked the question (as interviewees often are), what would you say is your biggest negative trait?  I told them to use their impatience positively.  That is, interviewees could say, 'I am an impatient person.  I have trouble waiting in line.  I have difficulty waiting for results to come in.  I don’t like wasting time.  I prefer solving a problem myself rather than waiting for it to be solved by others.'”
 
Thursday's Essay Excerpt - from the last paragraph of the essay
 
"Of the eleven steps above for achieving patience, I have found that number seven, “reminding yourself that things take time,” is (at least for me) the most important one.  I am, indeed, an impatient person, and I am often giving myself internal messages to calm me down: 'I do not need to be in a hurry,' 'I have the time,' 'Everyone does not operate at the same speed as I do,' and Cato the Elder’s phrase, 'Patience is the greatest of all virtues.'  It also helps to know, as Saint Augustine said, 'Patience is the companion of wisdom.'"
 
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Thursday's Essay Preview

The first paragraph of the essay, "The value of the journal," reads as follows: "When I was typing into my computer the handwritten essays I wrote on our Southeast Asia cruise, the experience brought back all the wonderful memories of our trip.  To reinforce and accentuate the notes I took, my wife received hard copies of the 400 digital pictures she took, and combined with my notes, the brochures, and ship information, we have a fairly complete representation of our trip."
                 
                                                                                                                                                                Thursday's Essay Excerpt - from the last paragraph of the essay

"Whether it is reflecting and understanding, motivation, an emotional outlet, tracking progress, a mental activity, responsibility, or all of these combined, I find writing a journal to be enormously satisfying — a major contribution to my health and well-being — and, for those who have never tried it, I highly recommend it."           




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Thursday's Essay Preview

The first paragraph of the essay, "The storms of life," reads as follows: "I remember vividly the circumstances surrounding my father’s death just about 16 years ago.  I remember divorces, retirement, and dealing with my wife’s mother’s death.  These are some of “the storms of life” that have affected my life.  Fortunately, in all the cases, I seemed to have (a judgment I am making in retrospect) the resources necessary to face and survive the storms.  It is only in retrospect now that I am able to look back and analyze how I survived."
         
                                                                                                                                                                Thursday's Essay Excerpt - from the last paragraph of the essay

Thinking at your best may mean seeking professional medical, psychological, financial, legal, or spiritual help when you realize they may be your best resource.  When you are in doubt, you should never endanger yourself by relying only on yourself and neglecting such experts.  In these cases, too, it is important to remember that it is how you go about choosing the experts and how you use what they have to offer that counts.




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Thursday's Essay Preview

The first paragraph of the essay, "The true meaning of birthdays: Developing a receptivity to and capacity for wisdom," reads as follows: "As I was getting dressed for church, the call came in on my cell phone, and when I answered, a chorus of youthful, cheerful, and well-prompted singers broke into their rendition of “Happy Birthday” to grandpa.  What a great way to begin the day — actually, any day — but particularly this one.

That alone could be the true meaning of birthdays, and this would be a very short essay!"

                                                                                                                                                               

Thursday's Essay Excerpt - from the last paragraph of the essay

The true meaning of birthdays is the growth, development, and change we experience as we acquire the history and knowledge that wisdom requires.  Wisdom doesn’t automatically come with age, but with determination, persistence, patience, and observation we can make good use of the history and knowledge we acquire and thus develop a receptivity to and capacity for wisdom.




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Thursday's Essay Preview

The first paragraph of the essay, "When the day is done," reads as follows: "It doesn’t take that much to convince me that I’ve had a successful day.  One day I repaired a hole in the side of my daughter’s house.  Although it was only 3-inches by 3-inches by 1 1/2-inches deep, it took a couple of hours to cut a block of wood to fit into the hole, shape a piece of aluminum flashing to cover the wood piece and more of the rotting wood, screw the flashing to the wood behind one of her gutters with treated screws so they wouldn’t rust, and then seal the area with silicon to protect it from further water penetration."
                                       
                                                                                                                                                               

Thursday's Essay Excerpt - from the last paragraph of the essay

For me, it is as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote in the final four lines of his famous poem, “The Day is Done”:                            
                                     And the night shall be filled with music

                                     And the cares, that infest the day,

                                     Shall fold their tents, like the Arabs,

                                     And as silently steal away.

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Thursday's Essay Preview

The first paragraph of the essay, "Lake Superior (Gitchigoomie)," reads as follows: "Our confusion was not whether or not we wanted to take this trip around the north side of Lake Superior, it was, rather, which way to go.  We could start from the east and proceed west and then farther west through Canada, or we could travel west first (north through Michigan, then west through Wisconsin and Minnesota) then east along the north side of Lake Superior.  The latter was our choice."
                             
                                                                                                                                                               

Thursday's Essay Excerpt - from the last paragraph of the essay

What was interesting after our two weeks in Canada is that when we crossed the border into Maine, the skies cleared, there was no more rain, and with the exception of a single thunderstorm and heavy rain, we had clear skies and no more rain for the remaining two weeks of our vacation in Bar Harbor, Maine, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, and Woodstock, Vermont.



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Thursday's Essay Preview

The first paragraph of the essay, "Well-defined routines," reads as follows: "We (my wife and myself) have often asked ourselves what it is that draws people to camping.  We’ve done no surveys, however, we think (for some) it is a sense of adventure, finding a more “inexpensive” way to see the world, “change,” and, perhaps, a safer way to travel (as opposed to staying in motels).  The reason we even ask this question is that camping — especially if people regularly move from one campground to another — is not easy.  It takes work.  We have discovered, however, that with well-established, well-defined routines, it takes some of the work out of the process.  Maybe the word “thinking” can be substituted for the word “work” in this context."
                   
                                                                                                                                                               

Thursday's Essay Excerpt - from the last paragraph of the essay

Now, these are some of our routines that make traveling in a fifth-wheel enjoyable.  I am certain others have different sets of routines, but it seems clear that well-defined routines make the whole process easier and more efficient — especially considering the fact that traveling requires a good bit of work.  In trying to answer the question, what draws people to this form of camping (or even, what draws them back to it year-after-year!), there have to be a number or routines that help reduce the stresses and strains of this form of travel.  These are some of ours.

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Thursday's Essay Preview

The first paragraph of the fourth anniversary essay, "What qualifies me to write essays---The bricks and mortar of my edifice," reads as follows: "I am not a mover and shaker, a politician, captain of industry, government official, or on the social registry.  I am not the director of a prestigious firm, the favorite son of the community, or on the board of directors of a business, board of education of a local school district, or on any board of trustees.  I am not an adviser to the local parish priest, church ministers, rabbi, or mullah, and my name is not synonymous with power, influence, and accomplishment.  So, why would anyone want to know my opinion on the issues of the day or accept any advice, suggestions, or direction I would choose to give?  Because I have asked myself this question, let me share with you how I have come to justify it — and, believe me, I have struggled with it before."
         
                                                                                                                                                               

Thursday's Essay Excerpt - from the last paragraph of the essay

It is the family of teachers into which I was born, my own academic credentials, my career as a teacher, my writing and publications, my reading and viewing, my experience, history, and background, as well as my own family that surrounds me with love and affection that form the bricks and mortar of the edifice known as me.  It may not seem like much, but it’s certainly a great deal more than the credentials of many people who give advice, and whether or not it truly qualifies me to give advice, the foundation is there, and I make use of it often.

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Thursday's Essay Preview

The first two paragraphs of the essay, "Self-concept is the single, most-important component that offers clear distinctions between good communicators and poor communicators," read as follows: "In my experience, those communicators whom I most admired, or those whom I considered most effective, all had strong self-concepts—at least, strong self-concepts from what I could determine.  Although there is no study to affirm the following conclusion, in all of my years of teaching speech-communication, I can report a direct, positive correlation between students with a strong self-concept and success in the basic course.
   
"Why is a strong self-concept necessary to have healthy, satisfying, ongoing interactions with others?  "
         
                                                                                                                                                     

Thursday's Essay Excerpt - from the last paragraph of the essay

To gain a positive self-concept is a continual, ongoing activity, but the benefits are worth it.  Through belonging, competency, and feelings of worth, we can clearly and accurately delineate our likes and dislikes, make preferences, observe with a critical eye, and polish awkward pieces of ourselves.  When we feel confident in our judgments and feelings, we begin to trust our interpretation of reality.  As we learn to trust our interpretation of reality, our self-concept improves.  After all, it is the single, most-important component that offers a clear distinction between good communicators and poor communicators.


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Thursday's Essay Preview

The first paragraph of the essay, "Focusing on the negative: And it is contagious!," reads as follows: ""Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us,” said the comic-strip character, Calvin.  "The chief obstacle to the progress of the human race is the human race,” Don Marquis is quoted as saying.  "A great many people think they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices,” said William James.  Doesn’t it seem sometimes like everyone’s complaining?  Everyone is negative.  All you hear about is difficulty, failure, and disaster?  Those with whom you converse all share the negative news they see on television or read on the Internet or in the newspaper?"
             
                                                                                                                                                     

Thursday's Essay Excerpt - from the last paragraph of the essay

'"As long as [you] are aware of [your] own negative attitude and are willing to adopt a more positive attitude towards life, change can and will occur. Once [you] realize that a negative attitude is the biggest obstacle to [your] happiness, [you] can make a conscious choice to help [yourself]. There will be obstacles and setbacks on the road to personal change but [you] must remain focused on the bigger picture: [your] success and happiness.'  This is the tenth item in an essay, 'Ten Ways to Overcome a Negative Attitude,' by Thich Nhat Hanh, at the web site, InTek Online.  There are no guarantees, of course, but this is a solid, productive, and potentially rewarding way to change both negative thinking and a negative attitude.  The great thing is you can begin at once—and it is contagious!"


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Thursday's Essay Preview

The first two paragraphs of the essay, "Aphorisms to live by," (I could have called it "Motivation by Quotation!") read as follows: "There is no rhyme or reason for the order of aphorisms in this essay.  The single criteria I used for selecting the aphorisms is that they touched me in some way.  My addition in each paragraph is designed to explain the value of the aphorism to me—or the lesson I learned.  The paragraphs are not connected, and there is no relationship between the various choices.  Each paragraph stands alone.
   
People need to learn when to abandon pursuit, give up the race, and turn their attention to other matters.  It was Norman Thomas who said, 'I am not a champion of lost causes, but of causes not yet won.'"
                                                              
                                                                                      

Thursday's Essay Excerpt - from the last paragraph of the essay

And your challenge to grow, develop, and change can take place at any time in your life.  “You are never too old,” said George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans), “to be what you might have been.”  H. L. Mencken said, “You can't do anything about the length of your life, but you can do something about its width and depth.”  Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Aim above the mark to hit the mark.” And, to end on a light note, it was W. C. Fields who said, “Start every day off with a smile and get it over with.”  This essay is now “over with.”


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Thursday's Essay Preview

The first paragraph of the essay, "Living a Balanced Life," reads as follows: "In 1964 (46 years ago), I was inspired, encouraged, even energized by a book by M. C. Richards entitled, Centering: In Pottery, Poetry, and the Person (Wesleyan University Press, 1962, 1964).  The book is philosophical in nature, and it was Richards’ theme as much as her language (writing style) that roused and stirred me.  'Centering is the image I use,' Richards writes, 'for the process of balance which will enable us to step along that thread feeling it not as a thread but a sphere.  It will, it is hoped,' she continues, 'help us to walk through extremes with an incorruptible instinct for wholeness, finding our way continuous, self-completing' (p. 6)."
         
                                          
                                                                                      

Thursday's Essay Excerpt - from the last paragraph of the essay

If you chose to live a balanced life, and you decided that the elements listed above were even some of those for which you wanted to strive, then the book, You Rules!, includes a wide range of useful and immediate recommendations for beginning at once on such a project!  Indeed, You Rules! will help each of us to, as M. C. Richards says, “walk through extremes with an incorruptible instinct for wholeness.”






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Thursday's Essay Preview

The first paragraph of the essay, "Bright-Sided," reads as follows: "Not very often do I make an essay into a book review, but it happens occasionally.  I reviewed the book, Bright-sided: How the relentless promotion of positive thinking has undermined America (Metropolitan Books/Henry Holt and Company, 2009), for our BookClubandthensome.com web site, and I had no intention of using it for an essay until I read this in a column by John Swartzberg, M.D., Chair of the editorial board for the UC Berkeley Wellness Letter, “As Barbara Ehrenreich points out in her new book, Bright-Sided, women with breast cancer are often assaulted with the idea that negative thinking brought on their cancer and that positive thinking will cure it” (p. 3, January, 2010).  Suddenly, his reference to the book gave it new attention and credibility, and I thought readers of my essays might like to hear more about her book.  It is a wonderful book full of insights."
                                          
                                                                                      

Thursday's Essay Excerpt - from the last paragraph of the essay

My attention to Ehrenreich’s book was drawn to Chapter 6, “Positive Psychology: The Science of Happiness,” simply because I have cited Martin Seligman a number of times in my books and articles, and I own his book, Learned Optimism.  I knew that “academics tended to dismiss the ideas of his successors as pop cultural ephemera and the stuff of cheap hucksterism” (p. 147).  How the new positive psychology became mainstream, the benefits it offered to nonacademic motivational speakers, coaches, and self-help entrepreneurs, the influence positive psychologists have had in the corporate world and on therapy, and the interview Ehrenreich had with him are fascinating revelations that, by themselves, make this book worth reading.





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Thursday's Essay Preview

The first paragraph of the essay, "Managing Conflict," reads as follows: "When I read the reviews of the ninth edition of my college textbook, Communicating Effectively (McGraw-Hill, 2009), it was clear from several of the twenty I received, that students had a real concern about managing conflict.  Being an author who takes the reviews of his textbooks seriously (between just two of my textbooks, I have prepared 16 new editions), and tries—to the extent possible—to satisfy the concerns and incorporate the changes recommended, I drew together the three main areas where conflict, as a topic, was discussed in the ninth edition, and I created a new chapter for the tenth edition entitled, 'Conflict and Conflict Management.'"                                       
                                                                                      

Thursday's Essay Excerpt - from the last paragraph of the essay

With these fundamentals in place, it will not only be far easier to think about facing conflict situations (as opposed to retreating from them) but managing conflict, too, will take on a whole new dimension that will promote mutual understanding, reciprocated trust and respect, and jointly shared resolutions.




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And Then Some News - Who Wrote William Shakespeare Part 2 Video

The video production site for And Then Some Publishing, LLC, ANTworkstudio.com has just released Who Wrote William Shakespeare? Part 2, by Edgar E. Willis.

Part 2 discusses questions about William Shakespeare. Is it mad house chatter? Is it ridiculous? Heretics or as described, Anti-Stratfordians who subscribe to the notion that William Shakespeare did not write the volume of material associated with him. In this video many questions are answered for the numerous reasons he is questioned about his writing, including a history of the postcard of information that is truly fact about William Shakespeare.

Can't see the video?
- Watch Part 1 here
- Watch Part 2 here




See more Books and Videos including How to Be Funny on Purpose and Edgar's account of World War II at EdgarEWillis.com

Thursday's Essay Preview

The first paragraph of the essay, "Losing Control," reads as follows: "When we took my father-in-law for a regularly scheduled doctor’s appointment, it was clear that he had symptoms that merited the appointment although he was only slightly aware of his degenerating condition.  His shuffling around had become more pronounced, his loss of balance was happening more often, just walking across a room created shortness of breath, fatigue increased, and his ankles and feet had swollen to such a degree that he had to put on old shoes, but he could not lace them.  The doctor came outside the examining room to talk with my wife and me, and his diagnosis was clear and distinct: acute congestive heart failure.  Edgar needed to be hospitalized at once so that treatment could begin immediately."
                                                                                              

Thursday's Essay Excerpt - from the last paragraph of the essay
Losing control is a frightening prospect but one most people will have to face.  Rather than lamenting the loss, one can only change his or her attitude.  It is not easy to do, and some would rather die than change.  But, unfortunately, that is the only recourse, because those who say, “I’d rather die than change,” often do.

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Thursday's Essay Preview

The first paragraph of the essay, "Finding time to relax," reads as follows: "It’s easy to get caught up in the helter-skelter of everyday life, community activities, job-related responsibilities, family happenings, etc.  It can be, too, workaholism—the compulsive and unrelenting need to work.  I tend to be a workaholic.  I’ve been one all my life.  When one project is complete I immediately proceed to the next one.  Sometimes, too, I am involved in a number of projects at the same time."
 

Thursday's Essay Excerpt - from the last two paragraphs of the essay

What I have discovered regarding “finding time to relax,” is that you must purposely work relaxation into your schedule.  If you just plan to relax when you find the time—especially if you are a workaholic—it is unlikely you will do much relaxing, if any at all.  I am not suggesting that the way I relax will work for everyone (perhaps no one!), but it offers two important lessons: First, different strokes for different folks!  You need to work out a system or plan that purposefully and specifically incorporates relaxation.  
    
The second lesson, and although I have not mentioned it thus far in this essay, relaxation will help you work better and more efficiently.  For me, it improves my energy level, sleep, concentration, and creative ability.  Doctors, too, will tell you relaxation gives the heart a rest by slowing the heart rate, reduces blood pressure, slows the rate of breathing, which reduces the need for oxygen, increases blood flow to the muscles, and decreases muscle tension.*   Personally, there need be no more justification for working relaxation into my life.

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Thursday's Essay Preview

The first paragraph of the essay, "Keys to overcoming boredom: Entering the room of choices," reads as follows: "As I prepared for church this morning, it seemed to me I had just done it, even though it was a full week ago.  When I pulled down all the Christmas decorations from the attic, it seemed as if I just put them up there the day before. Time flies, the routines become repetitive, and there seems to be little that is new and different.  It is easy to get caught up in the every day, become drugged by the nausea and din of life, and “go with the flow” because it requires no thought, satisfies our comfort zone, and permits nothing but our base survival instincts — routines that are deeply entrenched."                                                                             
                                                                                      

Thursday's Essay Excerpt - from the last paragraph of the essay

Now is the time to combat boredom more directly.  You are now in the room of choices.  Surround yourself with positive people, keep active, read new, interesting, positive material on the Internet, eat healthy food, begin a regular exercise routine, and get enough sleep.  With a more positive and optimistic outlook, you need to accept that some boredom in life is inevitable.  Do what has to be done as quickly as possible, and get on with it.  Life can’t be all fun and games.  Pat Riley, the basketball coach said, “If you have a positive attitude and constantly strive to give your best effort, eventually you will overcome your immediate problems and find you are ready for greater challenges” — the challenges offered in the room of choices.

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Thursday's Essay Preview

The first paragraph of the essay, "Is it nostalgia or is it music? Maybe both." reads as follows: "My wife gave me a “Wooden Music Center with Recordable CD Player” for Christmas year.  Not particularly liking modern technology, I waited eleven days to open the box.  It sat in my study until I could muster the stamina (the sheer determination) to open it, pull the Center from its foam protection, and read the instructions.  My lack of technical expertise caused me to read with great care, but I was resolved to make this work."

                                                                   
                                                                                      

Thursday's Essay Excerpt - from the last paragraph of the essay

Then I wondered if it was the nostalgia or the music having the positive effect?  Perhaps it was a little of both.  Whatever the cause, the effect was positive, encouraging, and revitalizing.

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Thursday's Essay Preview

This is second of two essays that not only prove "the power of small," but show, too, the power of a personal letter.  The first two paragraphs of this second essay reads: "I had just picked up a copy of Linda Kaplan Thaler and Robin Koval’s book, The power of small: Why little things make all the difference (Boradway Books, 2009) as a small item occurred that may make a big difference in some people’s lives.  This story is what their book is about.
   
"On May 20, 2009, at the request of my granddaughter, Mckenzie, I donated blood at Woodland School in Perrysburg, Ohio.  For me, donating is a regular thing, and I donate as often as I can.  While donating, I signaled the woman in charge of the donation to come to my donation site."
                                                                   
                                                                                      

Thursday's Essay Excerpt - from the last paragraph of the essay

From all that I read, it was my single letter that prompted this change.  Now when you donate blood, please don’t just notice the hand sanitizer in the canteen area, having just squeezed a dirty sponge ball as you donated, please use it before having your cookies or leaving the donation site.  Thaler and Robin Koval’s book, The power of small, offers hundreds more examples about how small things can make a big difference.

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