Me and my website

Living Life Fully--
a little bit of insight into how and why this site came to be.

I used to have some biographical information on the site, but the more I thought about it, the more I thought that content was the most important, that the focus of the site should be on material that inspires or motivates or helps one to see things in a new light rather than on personal information. As time goes on, though, I also have started to think about the sense of community that this site promotes, the idea that we all are connected in this world and we need each other if we're to pass our lives here in a positive way. In a way, I've violated that sense of community by taking down the biographical information--not on purpose, of course, and not in any major sort of way, but still in a very real way.

We strive to use all original photos. I took this shot
a couple of blocks from our house when we lived in New Hampshire.
The kids must be in high school by now!

The fact is, I believe, that it's easy to share of stuff that's our own, but not of ourselves. It's very odd, but very true.

That said, I'll tell you that I started this site some thirteen years ago because I felt that it was important that there be somewhere on the web that people could go to for encouragement and inspiration, a place that's creative and attractive as well as full of material. I've spent lots of time searching the 'net for backgrounds that are peaceful, artistic, and pleasing to the eye. I choose quotations on the basis of their potential relevance and depth, and since I started the site, I've seen my collection of books of quotations and other inspiring material grow dramatically.

This site is important to me because I know that this material has worked to pull me out of depression, feelings of anxiety and hopelessness, and feelings of being completely alone in the world. I don't need to go into details about my childhood, but so many of the behaviors and thought patterns that I developed then were destructive to me, and I continued to allow them to grow as an adult. Reading this material is a way for me to counter those tendencies. Much of the concept has grown out of a writing course that I taught for several years at St. Anselm College entitled Carpe Diem, in which we explored the concept of what life was all about through literature.

For me, this type of reading is my meditation. It's my way of reminding myself that the world is a positive place, and that we ALL have a place of value in it. I'm a pretty independent person by nature, and I just don't feel comfortable in many social settings (especially those that are staged or "required fun"), so it's important to me to have a refuge for my mind, a place where my thoughts can refocus and grow stronger.

Mission Statement

With these pages, we hope to create an area on the worldwide web where people can come for inspiration, encouragement, hope, and peace, or just to feel positive about life. In a world with news and entertainment media that tend to focus on the violent and the abnormal, we hope to remind people that life is, indeed, beautiful, and that we are constantly surrounded by wonderful people who do mostly good in their lives; unfortunately, we don't always recognize these people for who they are.
We hope to be always within the realms of copyright law concerning fair use and public domain. We will never present non-original material as original, and any use of any quotations will be intended to present the author in a positive light insofar as she or he is focusing on the positive aspects of being human.
We realize that many people object to the use of the pronoun "he" in generic fashion, and we've tried to eliminate this archaic use when possible, as long as the change doesn't modify the original meaning or intent of a particular quotation. This isn't an attempt to be politically correct--it's an effort to recognize and show our appreciation for the many wonderful contributions to our lives made by many gifted women.

I currently live in Idaho with my wife, Terry. Her two daughters and her son have all graduated from high school; her son is in the Army and is stationed in Virginia; one of the daughters is in Montana, and the other daughter is married in NH. Terry and I have been married for fourteen years, and we lived in New Hampshire for eight of those. I grew up mainly in San Diego and Arizona (my father was in the military), and I've also lived in Virginia, Illinois, Colorado, Spain, and Germany. Until a few years ago I taught at a college that admits exclusively students with Learning Disabilities, so I've learned a lot about the effects that we can have when we treat people differently because they learn or think in different ways that aren't effective in our "standard" school systems. Now I teach high school.

I want this site to be a reminder to all who visit that each one of us is a beautiful, unique, valuable member of humanity and of the earth, and we all need to be here for things to work. I want to make available to people the messages of value and worth because we all are worth it, and the better we take care of ourselves, especially mentally and emotionally, the more positive effects we can have on others, and they can then spread the positiveness (I know--it's not really a word!) to others. . . .

I thank you for your visit, and I wish you all the best in life. If you have any comments on the site, please feel free to drop me a line at info at livinglifefully.com. Take good care, and enjoy your visit!

tom