The Afterword

Tag: dailyprompt

  • Before The Problem Starts Shouting

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    Peter
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    What’s a lesson you’ve learned recently that shifted your perspective? Problems often speak before they shout. That is something I have been learning recently. Looking back, there have been situations where the signs were there early in the piece. They were not dramatic. They were not disasters. No alarms were ringing. But there were small…

  • In Praise of a Boring Evening

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    Peter
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    What do you do to improve your sleep? My strategy is simple: I try to keep the evening boring. That may not sound like much of a sleep strategy. It is not clever. It is not glamorous. But it works. Most of us know the basics. No doom-scrolling. No late caffeine. A predictable routine. A…

  • Who’s Counting?

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    Peter
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    Hit 5,000 steps today and dropyour achievement here— we’re cheering you on! Confession time: I don’t count steps. I don’t have an app. I don’t have a fitness tracker. I don’t check my progress during the day. I just walk. Weird, I know. But I could probably work it out. This morning’s 30-minute walk with…

  • Give Them a Chair, Not the Microphone

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    Peter
    in

    What’s the best way to deal with negative thoughts? Negative thoughts are not always lies, but they are rarely good leaders. It does not take much for them to emerge. A rash reaction you now regret. A mistake you wish you could undo. An embarrassing moment you would happily erase if you could. Before long…

  • More or Less

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    Peter
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    What do you love now, that you hated when you were younger? When I was younger, more seemed better. I loved to read, and building a library was something I valued. Book by book, shelf by shelf, I watched the collection grow. There was satisfaction in it. A growing library felt like a sign of…

  • One Small Act of Trust

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    Peter
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    What’s a time you followed your gut and it turned out to be exactly right? Sometimes you meet someone briefly and sense that they are trustworthy. I met him in Tanzania. I was there working on a project and he was assigned as my translator when I spoke at a church. We were together for…

  • Stephen Colbert for Emperor

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    Peter
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    Emperor Palpatine has announced open elections for a new Emperor — and he’s nominated Darth Vader. You get to nominate one challenger. This is the sort of election where the outcome feels predetermined. When the sitting Emperor endorses a towering figure in black armour who can strangle people with his mind, one suspects democracy may…

  • Together

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    Peter
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    What is something you used to believe as a kidthat seems ridiculous now? When I was a child, I believed that adults knew what they were doing. Adults seemed to know how life worked. They knew how money worked, what to do when something broke, and how to respond when something went wrong. They seemed…

  • Watership Down

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    Peter
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    What is a piece of media (book, movie, song)that changed how you see the world? I loved Watership Down when it came out in 1978. I saw the film first, and was so affected by it that I went on to read the book. That is very rare for me. Usually, if I have seen…

  • The Wisdom of Unfinished Endings

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    Peter
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    If you could change the ending of any book, which one would it be? I must admit that I baulk at the question. The reason is simple. I respect art too much. A book is not a product for my satisfaction. It is the work of another person’s imagination. So whether I like the ending…

  • Meeting People Part Way

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    Peter
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    Which languages do you speak and how did that impact your life? I admire people who can speak multiple languages. Working in a university college, I spend my days talking with students from all over the world. The are here to study degrees that are taught in English but many of them speak multiple languages.…

  • Keep It Simple

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    Peter
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    What’s the best advice you’d give to someone younger than you? The best advice I would give to someone younger than me is this: keep things simple. That may sound too plain to be useful, but a lot of wisdom is plain. We often make life harder than it needs to be. We overthink, rehearse,…

  • Making It Happen Without Making a Fuss

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    Peter
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    Who are you most inspired by? I am increasingly inspired by people whose names never appear in headlines. They are the ones who turn up, notice what needs doing, and do it without making a fuss. Brilliance has its place. We need gifted people. But as I get older, I find myself more deeply moved…

  • Character Outlasts Achievement

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    Peter
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    What is your top tip to be successful in life? My top tip for being successful in life is simple: character outlasts achievement. We live in a world that measures success by what can be counted, announced, awarded, or displayed. Titles, income, influence, publications, prizes, and recognition all have their place. Achievement matters. Good work…

  • Watching M.A.S.H. for the First Time Again

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    Peter
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    What’s a book, movie, or TV show that youwish you could experience again for the first time? I was late to the party when it came to M.A.S.H. It was not a show we ever watched at home. Then I went to college, and suddenly it became part of the daily rhythm. Straight after dinner,…

  • Joyful, Anyway

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    Peter
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    What is a common misconception people have about happiness? A common misconception about happiness is that it means being satisfied with everything. That is not true. In fact, it may be one of the more damaging ideas we carry. It suggests that if we are truly happy, we should be undisturbed by grief, injustice, disappointment,…

  • The Instrument I Wish I Could Play

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    Peter
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    If you could instantly master any skill, what would it be and why? If I could instantly master any skill, I would choose the piano. I love music, but I have no musical skill that I am aware of. I listen with great pleasure, but I do not play. I admire people who can sit…

  • Practical Compassion

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    Peter
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    What is one way you have grown this year? One way I have grown this year is by learning that compassion has to become practical. Over the years I have become increasingly aware of how much pressure some students carry. International students can carry loneliness, financial stress, uncertainty about accommodation, worries about family, the need…

  • Recognising the Thread

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    Peter
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    What is something you wish you could tell your 20-year-old self? At 20, I thought life was a linear progression. You chose your path, dedicated yourself to it, and then walked it. The challenge was to make the right decision early, commit to it, and stay faithful. At 20, I knew what my passions were.…

  • The Cost of Being Always Available

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    Peter
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    Write your guide to setting healthy boundaries in relationships. I am not sure I am qualified to write a guide to healthy boundaries, except as someone who learned them too slowly. For 20 years I was a parish minister. That meant working in a caring profession. People had real needs. Crises happened. There were weddings,…