Article by Make The Days Count Contributor Chris Bennett

Somewhere between Indianapolis and St. Louis on a chilly autumn day a few years back, I received a gift for my family that would unknowingly change all of our lives for the better.  This gift came in the form of a little fur ball that could barely see past the top of the grass.  She was shivering so bad she could barely bark.  It was more like chirp, almost like a chipmunk.  Her eyes made it clear though, she wanted to live.  Who was I to say no? Read More »

Article by Make The Days Count Contributor Marie Monroe

Effective communication helps listeners feel comfortable, on equal footing, and willing to continue listening and talking.  A presentation that holds its audience’s attention throughout is a successful one.  Yet a fluent discussion is one in which opportunities have opened and relationships are cultivated.

Many things are possible when communication flows well: learning, teaching, understanding, resolution, persuasion, collaboration, negotiation and intimacy, just to name a few.  This is the stuff of which good relationships are made – business and personal. Read More »

Article and Photograph by Make The Days Count Contributor Ann Wilkinson

What do you conjure up in your mind when you think of the word “creativity”?  Do you think of an artist wielding a paintbrush or a charcoal pencil?  Do you think of an actor on stage interpreting her lines?  Do you think of a master musician creating a complex piece of music?  Do you ever picture yourself in any of these scenes of creativity? 

You are a creative person by nature.  We all are.  Perhaps you have let this aspect of yourself go with your busy day-to-day life of work, bills, commuting, children and their priorities.  But have you considered that you can continue to explore your creative side, even in the midst of the day-to-day?  And, if you can add little bits of creativity to your daily routine, you may find that you become increasingly creative and gradually more satisfied with your life. Read More »

Article by Make The Days Count Contributor Tamara Belinc

When Norris Carden of Tullahoma picked up a camera after a 10 year break from photography, he wanted to create images that matter to people, not editors, as he had in his past career as a photographer.  Now, he is doing just that by volunteering his time to Operation: Love ReUnited, a non-profit group of photographers who lend their creative energies to raising the morale of men and women serving in the military.  He heard about the group on a forum on the Internet.

“I wanted to join to give back to the military,” he said. “I was in the military, also, but because of an injury at my civilian job, I wasn’t able to serve in Desert Storm as a combat photographer.”  Norris was also a member of the Tennessee National Guard with the 278th out of Knoxville.  His other work included video production out of Nashville for other states and the Pentagon. He was working in Shreveport, La., as a news photographer when he was in a helicopter crash resulting in shattered vertebrae.  “Within a few weeks of the accident, they wanted me to carry a camera in the desert, and I couldn’t,” he said.  “I want to give back to the people who served in my place.” Read More »

Article by Make The Days Count Contributor Derrick Torrens

Hormones raging and hairs sprouting, it gives off that Wild Kingdom vibe.  It’s primal, it’s territorial, and it might even be human.  It’s a teenager.  

So many of us treat our dealings with teens as if you are an explorer landing on a distant world.  Phasers on stun we don’t know if they are lethal.  How soon we forget what people must have thought looking at us.  Some of us are still getting looked at like that, HELLO. 

Say hi to seven long years of looking at someone and truly not understanding him or her.  That reminds me of my love life, but I digress.  Saying things like “in my time” (what is “my time”) or “today’s kids” (how long does “today” last) isn’t bringing you any closer to the truth that you already know.  We were all and are all going through the same trials and tribulations. Read More »