Category: Reck, Ross; Dr.

I enjoy cooking and baking and when I come across a recipe that is simple, quick, easy, and delicious, I love to share it. Several years ago, my friend Nancy shared her recipe for a “crustless blueberry pie” which I have renamed “blueberry cake/pie” because it’s a cake that’s baked in a glass pie pan. The first time I made it, I was overjoyed—the pie was fantastic, and it made the house smell wonderful. I was so excited that I took a photo of it and posted it on Facebook. Requests for the recipe immediately came pouring in. Then when these people made it and served it to their friends and guests, I would get emails and messages like, “My dinner guests raved about it and insisted on getting the recipe!” This, of course, brings a little joy to my life. I heard from another friend recently who made this cake/pie for her family. When she went to bed there was one piece left. Here’s what she had to say the next morning, “So this morning I thought a slice of cake/pie would be good with my coffee, but I can’t find it or the empty plate. Went to hang up shirts in my son’s room and in his bed was the empty plate and a fork.” How joyful!! 

References:

• RossReck.com

Often when we greet people that we encounter during our daily activities, we say something like, “Hi, how are things going?” They may respond with something like, “Fine.” “Great!” or, “Not bad.” And that’s the end of it. Now, if you want to get the most out of your greetings, when the other person tells how they are doing, take the extra moment say something that begs a response like, “Oh really.” “Tell me more.” or, “I’m sorry to hear that?” Doing this sends that person a convincing message that that you care about them which most people love to hear. As a result, you’ve not only brightened the entire rest of their day, but they’re not likely to forget about you anytime soon. For example, I was in a check-out line in a crowded Safeway supermarket near Lake Tahoe recently and I asked the checker how her day was going. She responded with, “Not very well.” Then I said, “I’m very sorry to hear that.” She went on, “A wildfire is threatening our home.” I then told her that I would pray for her and her family.” She came back with, “Thanks Ross, that means a lot,” (she had read my name when I swiped my Safeway Club Card). The next day, I went back to that same store and got into her check-out line. When she started to check-out my groceries, she said, “Things are much better today Ross. We are going to get through this. Thank you for caring.” The lesson here is that when you take the extra moment to show you care, people will remember who you are.

References:

• RossReck.com

Many people have bought into the myth that failure is fatal and is something that should be avoided. In reality, failure is nothing more than a very effective learning experience. Most of our greatest accomplishments were made possible through failure—learning to walk, ride a bike and drive. Why should the rest of our life be any different? As my father used to say, “Talk with any self-made millionaire and you’ll find they’ve gone broke at least three or four times.” Why? These people took risks, failed, learned from their failures, and tried again. Each failure taught them some very important lessons that ultimately paved the way to their success. On the other hand, not trying something because you’re afraid of failing sets you up for regret. There are few things in life that are worse than asking yourself over and again, “I wonder what would have happened if I had followed my dream when I had the chance.” As John Greenleaf Whittier put it, “Of all sad words of tongue and pen, that saddest are these, ‘it might have been.’”

References:

• RossReck.com

My wife sent me this post from The Contemplative Monk written by Jeff Foster and Titled, “Let Yourself Rest.”

Seeing as how we are emerging from more than a year of very stressful times, I thought that it important that I share it. I think we all need some rest.

“If you’re exhausted, rest.
If you don’t feel like starting a new project, don’t.
If you don’t feel the urge to make something new,
just rest in the beauty of the old, the familiar, the known.
If you don’t feel like talking, stay silent.
If you’re fed up with the news, turn it off.
If you want to postpone something until tomorrow, do it.
If you want to do nothing, let yourself do nothing today.
Feel the fullness of the emptiness, the vastness of the silence, the sheer life in your unproductive moments.
Time does not always need to be filled.
You are enough, simply in your being.”

If you feel like eating a whole bowl of Bing cherries, do it!! What are you going to do or not do?

References:

• RossReck.com – Let Yourself Rest

My friend was not feeling well, so I took him to Urgent Care. After a doctor diagnosed his illness, two prescriptions were sent to a nearby Walgreens to be filled and were to be ready by the time we got there. We decided to go through the drive-thru which was moving very slowly. When we finally got to the window, the woman helping us checked with a pharmacist and told us it would be 15 more minutes before the prescriptions were ready. I could tell by the stricken look on her face that she was bracing for me to vent my frustration by being rude and mean to her. When I said, “No problem! I’m in no hurry. I’ll just park on the side of the store for 15 minutes while my friend and I visit and then I’ll come back.” Her response was a very relieved, “Oh, thank you and God bless you!” These people endure rude behavior all day long and it makes their lives miserable. You can make these people’s days simply by smiling and saying something kind and not taking your frustrations out on them. A kind word will make all the difference in your day too.

References:

• RossReck.com