Family and friends gathering over the holidays are the perfect opportunities to build relationships! Join the Presently Engaged mailing list and receive my friendly 60-question "Conversations for Christmas" guide. You'll have access to both the e-book and a mobile-friendly version so you can access question prompts on the go this holiday season! Asking and listening [...]
It's hard to pinpoint who first declared, "Music is food for the soul." Perhaps Arthur Schopenhauer first stated it, over 200 years ago. Perhaps Plato inspired the sentiment when he penned "Music is medicine for the soul." Regardless, each sentiment gives voice to the power of music. Music is food for the soul. This statement [...]
When you hear this tune, what words first come to mind? Do you hum "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star"? Do you sing "The Alphabet Song"? Do you think, "Baa, Baa, Black Sheep"? Many songs in many languages have used this familiar melody throughout the centuries. In an officially patented Pallock Poll, we all associate it with [...]
Have you ever wanted to have a different name than the one your parents gave you? At times as a kid, I remember not really liking my name Amanda. It just sounded so…straightforward and official, and just a little boring. I experimented with all sorts of names, and after a while I decided that the [...]
We talk a lot about asking specific questions of specific people in heaven. David, what was it like to face Goliath? Eve, what was it like to live in the garden of Eden? Noah, how bad did it smell on the ark? Martha, what was it like to see Lazarus alive again? It's the [...]
The water bottle always goes into the left cup holder. The sweat towel always goes on the right hand side. The speed and incline buttons are accessible, ready to spin the belt speed and incline up or down depending on the desired settings. These indicators tell my brain and body: it’s time for another HIIT [...]
If Peter had tried to walk on water by himself at any point, he would have sunk to the lowest depths every time. The only things he would have gained from that adventure would have been wet clothes or a swimming lesson. Let’s look closer at Peter’s point of decision: “But when the disciples saw [...]
The blue and yellow sticker on the MacBook Pro across the coffee shop. The tiny elephant tattoo perched on an ankle at a neighboring table. Spectacles and scarf. The Catcher in the Rye. Journal. Latte. Laptop. And then there's the realization that I noticed the laptop's return, time after time, not the person holding it. [...]
Lines. Queues. Even in an era of two-day shipping, curbside pickup, and porch delivery, we still find ourselves waiting in the necessary line more often than we would like, don't we? Here's one small change you can make the next time you find yourself waiting in line: As you work toward the register, start praying [...]
Have you ever wondered how to tell the difference between an introverted programmer and an extroverted programmer? They say that an introverted programmer stares at their shoes while they talk. But an extroverted one stares at your shoes when they talk to you. buh-dum-chhh Joking aside, though, the best indicator between introverts and extroverts [...]
