MSI Press Blog

  Today's meditation from  Weekly Soul: Fifty-two Meditations on Meaningful, Joyful, and Peaceful Living   by Dr. Frederic Craigie. -17-   I don't want to get to the end of my life and find that I lived just the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well.   Diane Ackerman   Psychologists love to talk about depth. Depth psychology. Deeply-hidden instincts and motivations. Deeply-held values. Fine, but in a world with three (or more) dimensions, there is also length and width. Between the two, I find that width is the far more intriguing. A widely-lived life invites and embraces passion. Enthusiasm. Sometimes, exuberance. You can be faithful to those deeply-held values, but you are also entitled to be passionate and to experience the thrill of being alive. The 2007 film,  The Bucket List , popularized the title phrase and made it part of everyday common language. Lead characters played by Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman, both terminally...

  struggling in a disordered work environment For adults with ADHD, the workplace can feel like a maze designed by someone who has never fought their own brain to start a task. One moment you’re flying—creative, energized, hyperfocused. The next, you’re staring at a blinking cursor, drowning in emails, or derailed by a single interruption. Many adults describe work not as a lack of ability, but as a mismatch between how their brain functions and how workplaces are structured. The good news: ADHD does not mean you can’t thrive at work. It means you need a work environment that fits your cognitive wiring—and that’s not a weakness. It’s a design problem. 🌿 Why Work Is Harder for the ADHD Brain Workplaces run on executive function: planning, prioritizing, organizing, sustaining attention, managing time, and regulating emotions. ADHD directly affects these domains. That doesn’t mean you’re incapable—it means the environment demands more from you than from others. Common challenges incl...

  I’ve taught students of all ages. But none prepared me for the complexity of teaching a cat. He didn’t follow instructions. He didn’t care about rubrics. He didn’t respond to praise. And yet — he taught me everything I needed to know about good teaching. Here’s what I learned: Differentiated instruction is non-negotiable. Some cats respond to treats. Some to tone. Some to silence. Students are the same. One method never fits all. Behavior is communication. A sudden “mwout,” a tail flick, a refusal to engage — these are messages. I learned to decode behavior instead of punishing it. Positive reinforcement works. Cats don’t respond to scolding. But a well-timed treat? A gentle stroke? That’s motivation. Students thrive on encouragement, not fear. Timing matters. Try to teach a cat when they’re sleepy, distracted, or zooming? You’ll fail. Students have windows of readiness. Catch them, and magic happens. Environment shapes behavior. A cluttered space makes a cat anxious. ...