David Chernow

The Power of Water

There is a reason that I have chosen to live my life in Michigan.  Let me say that I am not “stuck” here, because I have had the opportunity to move elsewhere.  But I have made the conscious and maybe a subconscious decision to stay here.  I like Michigan.  My family and friends are here, it is a great place in which to raise my children, I like the change in seasons, and the landscape.  As I have sat down to write this piece about water, I am reminded that Michigan is a state that is abundant in fresh water.  From lakes to streams and rivers water defines Michigan living.  On a subconscious level, I believe that part of my design for staying in Michigan is because of its water.

Spend Time in Nature

We do not kill spiders in our house. So, when we see one, like we did last night hanging from a single strand descending from the ceiling, we get the spider and move it outside or maybe just ignore it. Our family doesn’t “Kill Nature”. 

From a philosophical perspective there is no real difference between the value of life of a spider, a raccoon, a cow, a whale or Me.  Nature owns many treasures, and they can be discovered.

The Power of Experiential Therapy at Onsite

After my mother stopped drinking and started AA, she was recommended a program in South Dakota called Onsite that could help her unlock the root causes of some of her behavioral patterning and offer her tools to remain on the path of sobriety. It worked. She was sober 35 years before she passed.

My mother attended a number of programs at Onsite before I decided, in my 20’s, to attend a program called “Learning to Love yourself.”

Trust Your Intuition

I had a conversation last night with a person I work with and at some point, she said “I should have trusted my intuition…I knew this was going to happen.” I can tell you that during the past 53 years of my life I have said that same thing to myself too many times to remember.  Over the years I have developed a theory about “Intuition” that I would like to share with you.  It was only after I contemplated the theory within the context of my children, that I realized its value.

Meditation

Why would you meditate in the first place? When was the last time you spent alone time? Not thinking about all the areas of your life: Kids, Husband or Wife, Finances, Job, and anyone of a thousand other areas.  When was the last time you really spent not thinking about anything…blank? It has probably been a very long time if ever. And, that is to be expected because as humans we are conditioned, from birth through childhood into adulthood and old age to remove ourselves from the present moment.

Be Judgement Free

There are no coincidences or accidents in life – Your life is unfolding according to design. The highly interactive design has been developed by you to produce the greatest opportunity for growth and self-actualization.  Those defining moments in your life, the ones that hopefully ignited some self-contemplation, were there for a reason, strategically placed to wake you up.

That is not to say that you do not have free will to re-chart your life’s course at any time, but there exists a blueprint for your life.

First, A Simple Story

After work one day I visited my tailor, Lorenzo, around the corner from my office to take in a jacket that I had recently purchased. 

Lorenzo spoke with a thick Italian accent, and never marked any of the clothing that he was going to tailor.  I would say: “Take this in 2 inches, put a cuff on it, taper this, add a button here and take off the belt loops.” And after all of those directions he would say, loudly, “OKAY!” And draw one line down the clothing. Ninety percent of the time, Lorenzo would screw up the tailoring.

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