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The Plane: Memorializing a Show-stopping Moment and So Much More

Posted on by Clay Rivers
A hefty Christmas tree ornament to commemorate a very special flight.

One of my favorite gifts is a rather weighty and sizable prop plane ornament, given to me ten years ago by Joey M., a then nine-year-old fellow actor in New York’s Radio City Christmas Spectacular. He bestowed me with this memento as a final gift during our annual Secret Santa gift exchange. He gave it to me as a reminder of a specific moment in the show, but it has come to symbolize a greater gift I was given by him and so many others. One I try to share as often as possible.

10 Things You (Probably) Don’t Know About Me

Posted on by Clay Rivers
Clay at Disney’s Magic Kingdom Theme Park, circa not that long ago.

Thanks to the lovely Lecia Michelle for tagging me in this challenge! Here goes, tipping my hand just a little. Hopefully, not too much.

1. I am not a fan of children.

I don’t have the patience for them. They’ve got too much energy and require a ton of attention. They’re not high maintenance.

How You’re Wasting Your Time Arguing with Angry People

Posted on by Clay Rivers
Photo by taha ajmi on Unsplash

People who don’t listen aren’t interested in a conversation. What they want is to stand on their soapbox and give a lecture.

It seems with each passing day that it’s becoming more difficult for people with differing opinions to have reasonable discussions about those differences in opinion. Call me an optimist, but I do believe it’s still possible. The trick is to
have a strategy before you start the discussion. Otherwise, it’s way to easy for the conversation to dissolve into a real world version of “Clash of the Titans.”

The Top 5 Worst Approaches to Managing Life’s Challenges

Posted on by Clay Rivers
Photo by NeONBRAND on Unsplash

We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
–Albert Einstein

Humans. We’re reactive by nature. Give me a puppy, a sweet potato pie, a lump of gold, or a month-long vacation in France, and I’ll give you a positive reaction every time. A boa constrictor, lima beans, a lump of coal in my Christmas stocking, or a fresh parking ticket will produce a reaction somewhere along the negative end of the emotional spectrum.

The Trouble with Words

Posted on by Clay Rivers
Photo by Lui Peng on Unsplash

If you think that not using labels when referring to “other” people is all it takes to make you post-racial, pull up a chair. It’s time we had a little chat.

Racism is a Bad Look for Anyone (Especially If You’re the Star of a Top TV Network Sitcom)

Posted on by Clay Rivers
Roseanna Barr by Vera Anderson, Getty Images.

I’ll keep this short.

Roseanne Barr. What hasn’t been said about her? How about this? She’s thoughtful, well-grounded, humble, and socially aware. Or perhaps, she has an unparalleled sense of nuance in areas of race, equality, and social justice. No? What about this then? She’s a pioneer at finding new frontiers that unite all Americans.

“Oh, Behave!” –Austin Powers

Posted on by Clay Rivers

A few days ago a rather unfortunate scene played out on Twitter over what appears to have began as a misunderstanding rooted in cultural differences and semantics. But it goes to show that words, cultural biases and differences, and intentions matter more than we think. I was mentioned in the original Shonda Rhimes thread on Saturday and have watched the flurry of tweets fly in. I’d like to share a little insight that might unravel this situation. This isn’t “man-splaining” or anything of the sort. I’m just a guy who likes seeing people get along.