Author Archives: Paul Williams
THE ELEGANCE OF KINDNESS
I’ve been doing a lot of press lately. Most of it in support of the rerelease of “The Muppet Move’ soundtrack album. Kenny Ascher and I wrote the songs for the movie and I produced the album. My executive producer was Jim Henson. It’s pretty simple. Blocks of phone interviews with radio stations, newspapers and bloggers to hustle up some ink and airtime for the Blu Ray version of the film. I was asked to write the liner notes to… Read More
THE OTHER SIDE OF AS IF
A few days ago Tracey wrote a blog that was compelling, instructive and insightful. “As if” dealt with the insanity of treating people as if they were not the addicts, gossips, meddlers, or whatever stripe they actually were. Treating them as if they were not what you know them to be. A great observation about unreasonable expectations and inevitable disappointment. I read the blog and thought, “Now what do I do!’ Because, for years I’d witnessed the other side of… Read More
ASLEEP AT THE KEYBOARD
I care deeply for a number of people in this world. My family of course. My friends and associates. Their happiness and comfort are of major importance to me. And yet, there are times when you’d never know that. I can be remarkably thoughtless. And the realization is like a slap in the face. Or perhaps more like the slap on a newborns bottom that causes that first gulp of air and the new life that follows. Yes, there… Read More
THE NON-NON BELIEVER
When I was a child of eleven or twelve I started going to different churches with my friends. Truth be told it was my first theater. Again and again in a variety of faiths I answered the calling and was ‘saved’. This little toe headed boy walking solemnly down the aisle to the altar, giving his soul to The Lord managed to touch the hardest hearts in the congregation. I was adorable. I loved the attention. I loved the love.… Read More
ALMOST PERFECT
My life is almost perfect. It’s probably more accurate to say that the life I celebrate today is the result of an impressive line up of almost moments that either prevented disasters or eliminated opportunities that looked promising but would have kept me from my true calling. What Emmet Fox calls our ‘True Place”. That place where one begins to live their hearts desire! This morning on my run I was jarred by the memory of one such ‘almost’… Read More
WHAT’S ON TV?
There was a time when censorship in this country was beyond ridiculous. Ozzie and Harriet never awoke in the same bed. They were married 25 years or more with two boys and a life that tossed morality and common sense at you in every episode. I got more parenting from the Nelsons than I did from my own Mom and Dad. For the most part the rigid conservative grip has been loosened to a very liberal setting where language,… Read More
THE LAST LAUGH
We all played hide and go seek when we were kids. I hated it. The tension of being in a closet or behind a tree or couch when someone was coming close always became too much and I’d begin to giggle. Major “kid in church, stop it or you’re gonna get a whipping” giggles. When I laugh that hard two things happen quickly. I can’t breath and I can’t see. Wait, three things. Because, I also can’t speak. Can’t… Read More
“FAR SIGHTED!”
I’m not athletic. I don’t know where I fell on the scale of jock-potential but I’d imagine it’s a number that would produce a big sigh followed by an accepting “Oh Well.” I always felt a little relieved to be picked last for team sports in school and the bench was much more comfortable and less dangerous than the playing field. I was king of the bad bounce. I knew that jammed thumbs and dropped fly balls were waiting… Read More
THE PLACE YOUR LOVE CALLS HOME
I love where I live. If you follow my tweets @IMPaulWilliams you’ve probably noticed the excessive use of boat and bay photos to illustrate my messages. I love living by the water. My morning runs when I’m back on the left coast are a symphony of snapping iPhone photos and songs of the sea. Though home is not an address. Home is not a zip code or a neighborhood Don’t get me wrong. I love the house I live in… Read More
INSTA – FIX
Mistakes. We all make them. Big and little. Major and minor. They’re a part of life, especially these days. With all of us moving at the mind-boggling speeds provided by the net, mishaps are almost guaranteed. Ranging from a thoughtless remark to a real tsunami of nasty we all lose it once in a while. For the most part the hurt we’re distributing is unintentional. I think many of us have experienced that heart stopping moment when, after jotting down… Read More