In his book “Road to Character,” Robert Brooks uses the terms Resume Virtues and Eulogy Virtues. Brooks shares how his life changed for the better when he started focusing less on his professional achievements and more on what his friends will think about …
I thought growing old would take longer. Not that 77 is old, but it’s older than I thought I was when I first jumped (or maybe rolled) out of bed this morning. I made my bed, washed my face and one-stepped it down the stairs to grab my first cup of coffee. Next, as I …
I wish you had been there. It was raining. Hard. The light turned green on a four-lane, busy intersection in Carson City. That didn’t stop an elderly, homeless man from pushing a shopping cart full of soaked blankets, plastic bags and empty bottles to start his journey …
Many of you know I love to dig deep studying the first seven presidents of the United States. In my grooviest dreams, I think I fit right in, maybe a president between Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. I just finished Jay Cost’s excellent book on James Madison. I …
I may need help. These voices are driving me a little wacko. Last night, as I was attempting to sleep, I caught my dear mother, Irene, softly whispering in my ear, “Donnie, you can do better than this. Much better.” She left before I had a chance to ask, “Do what better, …
Darn it. I can’t ride my bicycle anymore. Now, I hop on my imagination. I know this for sure. If I stop pedaling on the straightaways, my bike stops moving and I fall off. That’s a bummer. At times, I’m blessed with going downhill. I love it. The warm wind caresses my …
First off, my dogs seem to love it. Except for Jody Beth, who can be a bit snooty. Reading out loud forces me to speak every word, even those I murder in my pronunciation. I practice inflections in my voice. I go up and down in volume and tone, as if someone in the room …
Clyde saved my month. Sherry and I must have ticked off the weather saints. They spoke to their boss and requested our little patch of Washoe Valley get slammed with huge amounts of snow, wind and cold. Five-foot drifts are everywhere I wish to go. My former friend David …
Okay, get this. A Harvard study starting in 1938 tracked 724 men to see how their mental and emotional wellness was working out for them. It was a bunch of guys, from the poorest of neighborhoods to Harvard’s finest undergraduates. About 60 of them are still kicking around …
During all of the days of my youth, I never pondered once about what life would be like inside the old me. For example, in junior high school study hall, I never asked myself, ”Donnie, your ears are pretty substantial now, so how colossal will they be when you’re …
