When I was around 13 years old, I blamed my neighbor, Mrs. Milkman, for turning me in to the cops. She noticed her Christmas tree lights had been removed from her pine tree and transferred over to Arty Jackson’s house across the street (backstory: my parents talked about how …
I’d like to be Nigel J. Wiggins. Why? He guides a frisky pack, and they all respect his loving leadership. When trouble breaks out, Nigel rushes to the fire with unrelenting courage. Nigel mindfully lives in the moment. He’s not worried about yesterday or tomorrow. He always …
I thought my life would become less complicated as I aged. It’s not happening. Personal relationships still confuse me. Close friends and relatives don’t think the same way I do. I can’t even finish writing a book I started two years ago. Work is even more thorny. Why …
Playing golf with my brother Eddie was always a challenge. He took his sweet time. After several practice swings, he would approach the ball and just stand there, perfectly still. Often, Eddie would then back away, pose behind his ball and stare at the fairway ahead. For …
My smartphone is screwing me over again. I’m sick and tired of it. It sits there each morning, cradled in its slick, black charger, picking up unbridled power. Meanwhile, I’m expending energy making my bed, feeding the dogs, brushing my teeth and attempting to get matching …
If you don’t get a warm feeling about this story, check your pulse. Last Saturday, Sherry and I found a dead doe on our property who had recently given birth. We sadly disposed of the body, which showed no signs of disease or wounds. The next morning, our four white Swiss …
I did a brief interview for a radio station a while back. It was at a time I thought I was retiring – again. I think it was my third failed retirement plan. Yesterday, I played back the audio and I was impressed by how quickly I recognized the folly of what the heck I …
I wonder if you are familiar with the psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. Mihaly describes a state of mind when a person can concentrate on one activity so completely that all other matters slip away. He calls it flow. I think I get into a state of flow from time to time. …
In a recent study by the University of Chicago, Americans were asked if they were very happy. Only 14% answered “yes.” That’s a 17% drop from a 2018 survey and the lowest ever recorded. Using my mathematical wizardry, I recognized that means more than four out of five of us …
Some sneaky employee slipped the book Quiet by Susan Cain onto my desk when I was going to the bathroom. No need to pussyfoot around. I know I talk too much. This is a great book. It gives credit to introverts, the thinkers who don’t feel the need to pipe up at …