Vincent van Gogh once said, “Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together.” Let’s hear Mike Fink’s reflections on the value of all things small. Mike Fink is a professor at the Rhode Island School of Design.
Frederic Reamer
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This I Believe New England – Aphasia
All of us encounter setbacks in life—some small, some medium, some super-sized. The unsuccessful job search. The long-term relationship that did not end well. The disappointing test results. We hope, of course, that we have the resolve to weather the sorts of unbidden storms that arrive in our lives. And that’s precisely what we hear from Michael Obel-Omia, whose inspiring […]
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This I Believe New England – From Prison To Stage
Many listeners have been mesmerized over the years by the trials and tribulations of former Providence mayor Vincent “Buddy” Cianci. Our beloved Trinity Rep has brought this story to stage in the play The Prince of Providence. One of the lead actors is a Providence native, Erick Betancourt, who has his own compelling story to tell. Erick […]
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This I Believe New England – Parks
When we think about plunging into nature, most of us conjure up images of hiking in bucolic forests, paddling up tranquil rivers, and splashing in remote lakes. But right smack in our own backyards are some hidden gems, often overlooked because of their urban surroundings laced with high rises, barren blacktop, and cold cement. Nature lover Scott […]
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This I Believe New England – Caretakers
Witnessing the slow and jagged cognitive decline of a loved one is among life’s greatest challenges. Encounters that were once so smooth and carefree are fraught with anxiety, frustration, and uncertainty, sometimes with sporadic moments of levity and ease. For caretakers, there’s often the drip, drip, drip of compassion-filled, yet relentless and often taxing caregiving, perhaps accompanied […]
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This I Believe New England – Motherhood
Parenting, as many of us know, is chronically, relentlessly complex. Sure, there are those wonderful highs that don’t require any sort of hyperbole: first words, first steps, deep emotional connection, the child who says thank you and truly means it. And, then, there’s the other stuff that’s sometimes part of the package: the indescribable exhaustion during infancy, […]
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This I Believe New England – Resilience of Mothers
Parenting, as many of us know, is chronically, relentlessly complex. Sure, there are those wonderful highs that don’t require any sort of hyperbole: first words, first steps, deep emotional connection, the child who says thank you and truly means it. And, then, there’s the other stuff that’s sometimes part of the package: the indescribable exhaustion during infancy, […]
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This I Believe New England – Grounded
Those of us of a certain age take in lots of scenery when we look at our lives in the rearview mirror. We’ve spent decades – and decades – navigating life’s inevitable twists and turns, embracing those exhilarating highs and doing our best to cope with life’s painful lows. If we’re fortunate, we learn from the lessons […]
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This I Believe New England – Revision
In Plato’s Apology, Socrates asserts that the unexamined life is not worth living. While that may be a bit of an overstatement, many of us have learned during the course of our lives that self-examination that has real depth is a virtue that pays impressive dividends. We understand ourselves better, gain genuine insight, and, one […]
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This I Believe New England – Rhode Island Free Clinic
Health care is such a loaded and complicated topic. All of us are concerned about access to primary care physicians and specialists when our bodies don’t behave the way we want. The most fortunate among us have a doctor we can call when we need one. But many in our community fall between the proverbial cracks and […]