Go Ask Ben

 W e are told not to "dwell on our problems" when sharing our issues with friends and family. This is bad advice because most will continue to think on their problems anyway. Ben Franklin's 13 Virtues included Tranquility and Industry. Ben described tranquility as "Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.” For Industry, he said "Lose no time; be always employed in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions.” Dwelling on your problems is both an attack on your tranquility and industry. It has a simple cure. Get the problems out of your head and in a trusted system (like a notebook) where you can write your cares, concerns and thoughts. I have a "Problems To Solve" list that includes just about everything I am facing. I write to get issues off my mind and leave them there. They also make great for future "goals" since they represent a change I want to make. The power of a "Problems to solve" lis

I'm really tired of talking about Covid-19. The arguments, the politics, the threats, and the unknown feels like a weight around the neck. The way I frame the pandemic is also how I make choices in the future. I think the best question we can ask ourselves is " what have we learned as a society from the pandemic ." Here's my short list: 1) We need to be cleaner Cleaning hands and homes Cleaning and preparing foods Treating sickness with isolation 2) We need to change faster Businesses, Education, Homes need to be adaptable and willing to change Hospitals and clinics need to stop treating Emergency Preparedness as a "nice to have" department 3) We need to be prepared Hospitals and Labs need to be better funded and prepared for pandemics Homes need to think defensively: reduce risks, change behaviors, live differently 4) We need to think globally We didn't get into this mess because of China. They might have started the fire but blaming other countries doe

How do we deal with COVID-19, protect ourselves, kids in school and the elderly? Go Ask Ben. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure .” ― Benjamin Franklin Hand washing, sanitizers, shields, masks, distancing and cleaning are the ounce of prevention. Regardless of where you stand on the science or politics in Covid-19, you still have to choose an approach to personally respond to it. If Ben is right, we will always "pay" by the ounce or the pound.