It’s wise to put up walls to create and reinforce boundaries. There are emotional walls designed to create safety, and social media walls that say, “Keep out!” in subtle or not so subtle ways. Physical walls create barriers to entry. I recently visited what’s left of the Berlin Wall. Now I see walls everywhere. Walls of rooms create beautiful ways to keep people close. Some walls selectively allow people in and out, and some are clearly barriers to entry.

I have trouble remembering where I store my keys! Have you ever wondered whether squirrels remember where they bury their food? We see squirrels with bulging cheeks frantically digging hiding places for their winter hoard of nuts. They seem to be scatterbrained as they dash to and fro, exhibiting nutty behavior that appears wildly disorganized. After they exert the effort to conceal their stash, how do they find the buried treasure on cold winter days — when they need food most? It turns out squirrels can teach us a thing or two about organization and security.

Mis-take. Sometimes a word gives us its own meaning. What if we could do a re-take of a mis-take – a do over! Of course this implies recognizing missteps and owning up to them as they happen. When we're skillful at recognizing mistakes in the moment, the lesson we learn is the prize.

In the 1980’s, the company name Xerox became a verb because of the machine’s ability to make paper copies. Everyone knew what you meant when you said, “Xerox it!” Today Google is an example of the same phenomenon. Just as people got carried away with xeroxing — remember copies of butt cheeks? — it’s time to consider whether googling everything is a good idea. It’s no surprise Google compromises our privacy by selling or sharing all the data it acquires about us. Here’s an article I found about what NOT to Google and why. Later I’ll share an option that offers privacy and anonymity.