Aging provides many opportunities. One is improving my ability to forgive. I’ve discovered that hanging onto the hurts of my past causes me nothing but pain. I looked back on a few of the biggies that have eaten up precious days of my life. It made me recognize my feelings …
Okay, we have the same first name: Don. A former friend of mine yelled at me that I was a poor excuse for a modern Don Quixote. Many years ago, I attempted to tell Leroy that Carson City was the perfect spot for a Wild West theme park for kids, similar to a miniature …
Still in my 20s, I had the opportunity to spend time with Carl Rogers. I was working at a small, experimental college at Lake Tahoe in the 1970s. Rogers and his wife visited on several weekends and shared his vision about life. Back in the 1940s, Rogers had developed …
My friend and mentor Frank Tate told me that as he aged, he often barely slept at night. When this happened, he would put his head back on the pillow and think of all the fun and frightful experiences he encountered in his rich history. Last night, not able to sleep, I …
As I age, feelings of ambivalence have become a bigger and bigger part of my life. You would think at the rich age of 75, I’d know for certain what I want. That’s not the case for me. It seems the more I study and evaluate a situation, the more uncertain I become. It’s not …
Washoe Valley, Nevada, is known as a wind tunnel. Drivers passing through are often stopped because of the gales from the west that scream down the Sierra mountains. From time to time, the wind drops an abundance of snow at my door, like a shining gift from the dark clouds …
I need help. I’ve been losing more than my share of arguments. I’m being bested at work, with combative friends and in the neighborhood fence wars. Looking back over my 75 years, I’ve prided myself on being persuasive. Others may need to use deceptive strategies to seek …
I’ve been thinking about ups and downs across my life. It took me decades to share some of the “down” experiences with the people closest to me. What I’ve learned is, many of us suffered indignities while growing up. I was sexually assaulted three times before reaching …
I’m getting too old to accept all these newfangled ideas. Early in my life, streets that bumped into other streets created an intersection. If the two streets were not busy ones, drivers were smart and courteous enough to figure out which vehicle or buggy had the right of …
Is there anyone who really believes Saint Peter will be at the pearly gates to quiz us on whether we deserve to enter? I have only known two people who bought this whole package. One was my mother. She had taken a course called “elocution” in high school. In her final year …
