Archive | Mental Health

Lunch Buddies

Most of my working life has been spent in small environments without the opportunity to go to lunch with co-workers. Melissa and I have lunch together most days of the week, and of course, breakfast and dinner too. But, not having worked in a big workplace, my lunch buddies are most often people, who like […]

Continue Reading

As anyone who knows me well can attest, lunch is my favorite meal of the day.  In my opinion, breakfast is a necessity and dinner, while enjoyable, is more formal than lunch.  Lunch, on the other hand, has the greatest potential for fun and I love to have fun!  I spent many years in academic […]

Continue Reading

Do You Want My Opinion or My Tacit Agreement?

Many people ask me for my opinions. My opinions are solicited by family, friends, and clients, and sometimes, even by strangers. I would go as far as saying I am a professional giver of opinions, in that my clients retain me primarily for my expert opinions and advice about their high stakes lawsuits. Sometimes, however, […]

Continue Reading

This topic is obviously very real and concerning to Melissa.  The nature of the two relationships with which Melissa was dealing in this situation made it even more difficult.  Fortunately, I do not think I have faced such a conflicting situation.  I may be guilty of offering unsolicited advice or suggestions, and sometimes, a best […]

Continue Reading

Be Nice

Be nice. That’s easy to understand, but sometimes, difficult to do. What does it mean to “be nice”? I never gave it much thought until I had lunch at a restaurant in Fort Lauderdale several years ago. The restaurant’s slogan is “be nice” and they have bumper stickers with this motto for anyone to take. […]

Continue Reading

The opposite of being nice, that is, being mean, seems to have a much higher degree of visibility.  Mean sells, mean makes the news.  The increased political polarization of our United States seems to increase meanness, and decrease niceties.  For some, the example of “leaders” behaving badly translates into a belief that those behaviors are […]

Continue Reading

The Ability to Understand Others’ Perspectives

I believe everyone is entitled to their opinion. This includes me. When conducting mock jury or other social psychological research, I almost always encourage the open expression of differing views by informing our research participants that “There are no wrong opinions or points of view.” I know some people who enjoy verbal sparring, however, I […]

Continue Reading

In our often politically polarized world, it appears difficult for some people to accept that other people have valid, opposing, opinions.  Our work involves watching “regular people” who are recruited to participate in our mock juries or focus groups express their opinions.  Clearly, some people are more adamant about their own opinions than others.  Some […]

Continue Reading

How Did You Love?

Charlie Watkins and I have been friends since 1964, when we were in first grade together at Allen Park Elementary School in Fort Myers, Florida. There are many things I like, and love, about my friend, Charlie, including our shared fondness for beautiful flowers; our mutual love of rock and roll music, played loudly; and […]

Continue Reading

I think the idea conveyed by the question “How Did You Love?” is worth considering in our world which is so full of stress and strife.  Perhaps I’d modify the question a bit, and ask, “How Did You Live?”  Too many people seem to live their lives not in love, but in meanness, anger, and […]

Continue Reading

It Gets Late, Early

My late Mother was fond of saying, “It gets late, early.” As she aged, she went to sleep earlier and earlier and when I remarked about her change in bed time, she would smile and tell me, “It gets late, earlier and earlier.” I had no idea why she said this; furthermore, I had no […]

Continue Reading

This was to be a precursor post to Melissa’s post about her Mom’s South Carolina sayings.  I struggled with that post not having experienced similar sayings in my family, though I can’t imagine why I did not.  My grandmother did frequently lament that growing old was not for sissies, and we wrote about that previously […]

Continue Reading

Live a Little – Hawai’ian style

David and I have visited Hawai’i several times. It is one of our favorite places and somewhere I would enjoy making my home. I learned a lot on our trips to Hawai’i, including that the rainbows for which it is famous are possible only because, you guessed it, it rains a lot, daily it seems. […]

Continue Reading

Living a little is a concept some people don’t appreciate until it is too late.  The ability to live a little is probably one of the primary reasons Melissa and I enjoy owning our own company.  We frequently build a little “living” into our “working.”  Very often, this involves exploring a venue where we are […]

Continue Reading

Better Not Look Down

I had the privilege of seeing the late, great, B. B. King perform in concert on many occasions. He was a source of inspiration to me for many reasons, including his commitment to keeping the blues alive. One of my favorite songs of his, written by Will Jennings and Joe Sample, is “Better Not Look […]

Continue Reading

As anyone who reads our posts knows, song lyrics are a part of our outlook on the world.  When I read Melissa’s post, and comments of those who live their lives in the past, I immediately thought of “Living in the Past” (Jethro Tull) and Bruce Springsteen’s anthem “Glory Days.”  But more so, I thought […]

Continue Reading

Hitting the Ground Running

As noted in a prior post, Melissa and I have built in a “vacation” each year during the last 2 weeks of December, returning to work just after January 1. This is, in some part, due to the reality that we cannot do our “real work” of mock juries, etc., in that time period. In […]

Continue Reading

During our recent vacation, David and I had lunch with childhood friends of mine, both of whom are retired.  One of these friends has been retired for several years and the other, for several months.  They both extolled the virtues of retirement, which, for them, has provided considerable benefits over their careers, which they spent […]

Continue Reading

Why I Love Siamese Cats

A Point of View

Melissa Pigott, Ph.D.

On December 27, 2022

Category: Getting Through Life and Work, Giving Back, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Mental Health, Travel, Work-Life

I love cats. I really do. Dogs are great too, but I love cats. I have been fond of cats my entire life. My first cat was a domestic short hair ginger cat named Dinker. The cat who was the love of my life was, of course, Ziggy, who spent 19 years with me during […]

Continue Reading

Another View

David H. Fauss, M.S.M.

On December 27, 2022

Category: Getting Through Life and Work, Giving Back, Magnus, Magnus Insights, Magnus Research, Mental Health, Travel, Work-Life

I became a cat person sometime after I met Melissa.  I had no choice.  Ziggy was there first and he was a force with which to be reckoned.  The bobcat in him was close to the surface and though he didn’t have front claws, he attacked at will and had sharp teeth.  But, he knew […]

Continue Reading

Powered by WordPress. Designed by WooThemes