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THE SEASON OF REBIRTH
As
most of us slough off this long, hard, cold winter and wait in
anticipation for the new buds of spring, Passover and Easter remind
us of the triumphs of breaking free and being reborn. You don't have
to be religious to embrace these universal themes and journeys.
This is a great time to ask ourselves the following questions:
What did I learn during my winter slumber?
What have I been enslaved to and how am I finding new freedom from
this?
How have I recently died (symbolically) and who has this process
given rebirth to?
During my winter slumber, I continued the process of reclaiming my
truest sources of strength and abundance which does not lie within
certain people but, rather, more deeply within myself and the
universe-at-large.
I've continued to see more clearly--painfully sometime--how I still
have patterns of deep fear around failure and around not having
enough money to survive. I also continue to see more clearly how I
have tended to live out my early family role of the strong one, the
self-sufficient one, the one who never gets angry. Is it any wonder
I shoplifted on and off for ten years from age 15-25?
I
just celebrated 24 years of recovery last month. I can see how far
I've come not only in my recovery but in my life. I feel blessed to have
had so many opportunities in my recovery and in my work to meet and
help others and to be a voice for hope and recovery. I continue to
experience periodic doubts and insecurities, frustration and
impatience around finances and where my path may lead. I suppose
that's human.
So, what has died (or is dying) in me in order to be reborn? Well,
that is still emerging. But, I hope, I can learn to speak my truth
more, take myself and life more lightly, trust I will be provided
for, and balance work and play. In other words, I hope the Terry I
am continues to become more himself.
When to take a stand and when to let go and surrender is not always
an easy call. When is it time to uproot and make an exodus and when
is it time to allow ourselves to be nailed to the cross in the name
of something bigger than ourselves? Standing up for ourselves, for a
cause, or to others can be hard. And we may suffer for it and die in
some sense to be reborn. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Jesus and
Moses certainly went through their trials and tribulations but they
have endured as symbols of strength and transformation for millions.
For those who've wandered "40 years" between
enslavement and freedom (how many have been in their addictions that
long!) and those who have felt crucified and resurrected and those
budding flowers of spring both delicate and strong beyond measure,
we face the cycle of the seasons within and without. We must grow,
we must move toward freedom and toward rebirth. It is our calling
and destiny.
RETAILERS TRACK YOUR EVERY MOVE--LURE YOU IN!
In
an article in the March 27, 2014 issue of Time Magazine, Harry
McCracken writes about how, thanks to Smartphone, GPS, and Apps,
retailers are testing and implementing technology--iBeacons--which
can track your whereabouts and then prod you at any moment with an
advertisement or sale pop-up on your phone.
Four
ways iBeacons could change shopping and leisure include the
following:
1.
Line hints at ballparks or stadiums: when you step away to buy a hot
dog, an app directs you to the closest concession stand with the
shortest line.
2.
Instant coupons in department stores: linger in the jewelry
department without buying anything and a coupon will pop up on your
phone.
3.
More context at museums and galleries: an app tells you historical
information about each piece of art as you walk through the room.
4.
Reminders at grocery stores: an app reminds you of each item on your
list when you're in the right aisle to pick it up.
See:
www.time.com
Commentary:
while technology may continue to make shopping easier, there's no
doubt we're increasingly being prompted by advertising and
technology to buy more and more, often what we don't really need.
So, in the end, is this a good thing?
THE SHULMAN CENTER & 3rd MILLENIUM CLASSROOMS
LAUNCH ONLINE SHOPLIFTING PREVENTION PROGRAM
I
was grateful to recently escape the Michigan cold and visit our new
partners at 3rd Millennium Classrooms in San Antonio, Texas. Founded
about 10 years ago by Gary Moorman, 3rd Millennium specializes in
developing online education programs from high schooler, college
students, and court-ordered probationers on topics of alcohol
awareness, marijuana awareness, and shoplifting
awareness/prevention, as well as other topics like better parenting.
It
was an honor and privilege to be contacted by 3rd Millennium 6
months ago to partner and consult with them on improving their
online shoplifting awareness/prevention course called STOPLifting.
We
couldn't have asked to work with more kind, dedicated and creative
people than Gary Moorman and his staff, including Katie Church and
Shannon Reynolds.
We
look forward to the launch of the STOPLifting program by April 1,
2014. Please check out 3rd Millennium's website at
SHOULD COUPLES KEEP SEPARATE BANK ACCOUNTS?
Two Perspectives in March 17, 2014 Wall Street
Journal
Money.
It has been cited time and again in studies and by experts as a big
source of marital conflict and divorce-even in households where
there's plenty of it.
Part
of the problem is that many people have deeply held beliefs about
the purpose of money and how it should be used, and their beliefs
don't always match up with those of a partner. In other cases, money
becomes an issue of control-perhaps because one spouse significantly
out-earns the other or is the only one working outside of the home.
Some
couples merge their bank accounts to maintain harmony in their
relationship. They believe that if each spouse has complete control
over a certain portion of family funds, they will be less likely to
engage in the kinds of petty money fights that tear couples apart.
Given
the fact that money is such a hot-button issue in relationships, one
can't help but wonder: Are married couples better off keeping at
least some of their finances separate?
Others
believe that having separate accounts simply opens the door to
selfishness. Spouses have to put the "team" before
themselves, they say, and one of the best ways to do that is for
couples to combine all of their assets and liabilities.
See
rest of article at: Couples and Money
WHEN EMPLOYEES CONFESS, SOMETIMES FALSELY
by Saul Elbein
New York Times March 8, 2014
Garland
is just one of millions of people who hoard. It's estimated
When
an AutoZone investigator approached Chris Polston, asking for his
help investigating a theft, Mr. Polston was happy to oblige.
He
was 20, had worked for AutoZone all through high school in Maryland,
and, after graduation, moved to take a job with the chain in
Houston. He and his wife had a child on the way, and he thought that
AutoZone, the car parts retailer, could be a place to build a
career.
That
morning in 2010, it all came undone.
According
to an account of the day given by Mr. Polston in interviews and in a
civil suit against AutoZone, Conrad Castillo, an AutoZone
investigator, sat him down in the store's overstock room between a
cinder-block wall and a row of batteries. At first, he said, the
investigator was friendly, making small talk about the joys of
fatherhood. "He was talking to me as if we'd known each other
for 10 years and we were at a barbecue," Mr. Polston said.
Then
Mr. Castillo's tone changed, Mr. Polston said: Mr. Castillo asked
him to sign a statement that said he was not recording their talk.
After Mr. Polston signed it, Mr. Castillo accused him of having
stolen auto parts. When Mr. Polston denied the accusation, Mr.
Castillo insisted. He pointed to a DVD that he said contained proof
that Mr. Polston had stolen parts. Mr. Castillo, however, would not
let Mr. Polston review the DVD. (In his own testimony, Mr. Castillo,
who did not respond to requests for comment, denied showing Mr.
Polston a DVD; he said he found Mr. Polston deceptive and hostile.)
See
rest of article at: Employee Theft
SPOTLIGHTS:
"In Recovery" Magazine
There's
a wonderful relatively new quarterly recovery magazine I want to let
you know about. It's called "In Recovery." Founded 2 years
ago by Kim Welsh, a recovering person herself, in Prescott,
Arizona--home to many treatment centers and half-way houses, this
magazine has something for everyone. I visited Kim in October 2013
and was honored to be invited to write a regular column about
process/behavioral addictions--starting Spring 2014.
The
magazine is available in hard copy as well as online at:
3rd
Millenium STOPLifting Online Education Course!
3rd
Millenium Classrooms out of San Antonio, TX has been offering
high-quality online education courses for alcohol, marijuana and
shoplifting issues for many years now. I've been honored to help
them fine-tune and update their shoplifting course which many are
court-ordered to complete after an arrest.
3rd Millennium Classroom's STOPLifting is an online intervention
course designed to assist shoplifters in examining and altering
their attitudes and behaviors towards shoplifting. The course
incorporates evidential examples and related follow-up questions to
discover the student's motives behind shoplifting, reveal possible
patterns in his or her behaviors, and identify potential triggers
and ways to cope. Through STOPLifting's unique motivational interviewing
style, students are encouraged to evaluate the personal consequences
of shoplifting and how they affect the individual, his or her family
and those around him or her. See: www.3rdmiclassrooms.com
Clutter-Hoarding
National Clean-Up Services
See: http://www.clutterhoardingcleanup.com/
Honesty
is its own reward.--Anonymous
Walk
in peace.
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