In the game of chess, there are 32 pieces and 64 squares. Each player begins with 16 pieces, properly lined up in a prescribed order on their respective side of the board. However, in the game of life, there are times when I cannot get everything to line up. Quite the opposite, actually—there often seems to be a bit of…
Welcome to my next Refracted Friday blog series: Making the Right Moves with TOPS. We have all heard the expression “Life is like a chess game.” The implications are that in both, it is necessary to plan ahead, use various tactics, not be reactive, not get emotional (keep focused) and have a purpose (goal) in mind. I want to warn…
On December 8, 2023, I started this blog series about a TOPS Healthy Lifestyle. In reality, my journey began on January 10, 2002, when I joined TOPS. That is when I learned that I will always be UNDER CONSTRUCTION (1) and there will be many twists on the road. On this particular twist, I discussed thirty-four signs. I did my…
Just because you see a DEAD END sign does not mean we are finished with this blog series. In fact, there is still one more sign left in the Follow the Signs series dealing with our goal to a TOPS Healthy Lifestyle. A DEAD END sign gives plenty of warning that the road does not have a DRIVE THRU to…
Seeing a HIDDEN DRIVE sign always raises my alert level. There is always a chance someone could be pulling out or backing into the road and based on the location of this HIDDEN DRIVE, visibility is bad. Seeing these types of warning signs also reminds me of driver’s education classes. I will forever remember my teacher’s advice that when a…
On any journey, especially a long one, INFORMATION is needed to travel safely and not get confused or lost. Seeing a SURVEY CREW AHEAD sign helps me to be aware of my surroundings while on my journey. The crew may be working on improvements to the road I have chosen. Possibly, they are studying if there are ALTERNATE ROUTES that may…
It’s hard to believe this is the thirtieth sign in this series called TOPS Healthy Lifestyle: Follow the Signs. Unless I get caught in a CRASH ZONE, I will provide four or five more signs to conclude this series. The next several signs will relate to our chapter experiences. On any journey, some signs I see really do not have…