Odditude

In a World of Evens, You Have To Be ODD

by on Jul 2, 2012 | 0 comments

Looking back, I realize my grandfather’s strongest belief was that in a world of Evens, you had to be ODD. To my grandfather, “ODD” was not a negative word — just the opposite. He understood that trying to be like everyone else was poison. He believed that he and I and everyone else on this planet was one of a kind. In order to live a happy life, you had to first be true to yourself. He would often say, “Look within you and discover your Wizard of ODD.” My grandfather and his belief in ODDITUDE gave him a lust for living that enveloped everyone around him....

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We Are All Teachers

by on Jun 22, 2012 | 0 comments

We are all teachers all the time especially when we are around young minds. I learned that a number of years ago when my daughter was three. One morning, I planned on walking to the cleaners, which was just a block away. But when I reached the back porch, I saw that it was raining. My wife’s car was in the driveway, so I though I’d borrow it. But I must have lost my mind momentarily, because I did not ask her permission first. I just presumed she wasn’t going anywhere in the next seventy-five seconds. Sure enough, when I pulled back into the driveway, there was my wife...

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My First Wizard of ODD

by on Jun 18, 2012 | 1 comment

I was lucky. I had wonderful parents. They had an agreement that they’d never go to bed mad at one another. Made it rather tough on us kids. Not easy talking to someone who hasn’t slept in fourteen years. One of the nicest things about growing up in my house was that my grandfather lived with us. My grandfather was a teacher. He drove a bus for the city of Chicago, but he did that for the money. … He was really a teacher. The most vital lesson he ever taught me was the importance, the excitement, the beauty, the challenge of being ODD. If it was your second time on the bus,...

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Mom Was Right…You Are Special.

by on Jun 13, 2012 | 0 comments

Well, you started out that way. Each of us began life as a once-in-a-universe happening…totally unique…ODD. But, over time, life has rubbed up against us, making many of us “Even.” Perhaps you have concluded that being ODD — being true to yourself — is somehow negative or an ideal that you should long ago have abandoned. Perhaps the idea of being ODD may even seem a little scary. Throughout our lives, we are expected to do things by society’s standards. We are trained, early in life, how to think and how to fit in so that we may “succeed,”...

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THEODORE DERBY

by on Jan 20, 2012 | 1 comment

Another piece of my book, ODDITUDE, which was published a while ago by HCI Press. Hope you enjoy it – please - very interested to hear your comments.  My direct email is johnpowerspmi@aol.com ANOTHER ODD FELLOW THEODORE DERBY There’s a toy box in a corner of my office that reminds me of Theodore Derby. Sometimes, when my daughter was small, she would come up to my office, take a toy out and play with it for a while. When she got bored, she would take out another toy and play with that one for a while until she got bored with it, too. Eventually, she would get tired of the whole...

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IF I’M ODD DOES THAT MAKE US EVEN?

by on Jan 16, 2012 | 2 comments

A few years ago, I wrote a book, ODDITUDE (Finding the Passion for Who You Are and What You Do), which was published by HCI.  The premise of the book is that we are all born “odd” but, as we grow older, the forces of society turn us into ”even.”  We dull what makes us special.    Another premise of ODDITUDE is that everyone around each of us is leading a life that is teaching us something if only we have an open mind and are willing to learn.  ODDITUDE is a short book with short pieces. The vast majority of people who have read ODDITUDE have really enjoyed...

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