Belly buttons can be beautiful things. They can also become black holes. Omphaloskepsis was a word coined in the 1920s for personal reflection, or the study of one’s own belly button. I know this guy, Gus, who concentrates too much on the person he thinks he is or the …
All my life, I’ve been known as the unhandy man. My reputation was etched into the memories of friends and family many years ago. It happened when a seldom-used toilet kept running. I inspected the back tank and discovered when I pulled up on the little black bobber, the …
When you reach a certain age, the chair you sit in counts. My favorite chair, Otto, is in the TV room. It’s green and cushy. Otto rocks back a bit, and a foot rest automatically appears. But let’s be clear – it’s not a La-Z-Boy. I promised Sherry I’d never get one of those. …
If you went to high school or college in the 1960s, you were probably stuck reading Walden by Henry David Thoreau. He hung out around this little pond in Massachusetts and wrote about how man was being harmed by mixing with society and its institutions. I didn’t like Henry …
I’m angry. I’ve had it with these plastic wrappings that protect purchases. I can see what’s in the package, but even Godzilla cannot get to the contents. A kind and sympathetic reader sent me an expensive hair removal kit after reading my recent post about a huge hair …
Some romances that last for decades begin in the strangest ways. That happened to me. I’ve always been a sales guy of some sort. Nearly 30 years ago, I was practicing my trade in Madison, Wisconsin. The fancy spot to eat lunch was the Madison Club, right off the …
I am so lucky. For three decades, I have worked with a group of outstanding professionals who make up the team at The Change Companies®. Most everyone wears multiple hats: creative writers, graphic artists, salespeople, researchers, distribution experts, printers, …
It still makes me nervous when I read business leadership books encouraging all of us to make the most out of every day. Stuff like, “Get busy. Today’s opportunities will not be there tomorrow,” or “While you’re snoozing, you’re losing.” One study published by Harvard …
Some of my most embarrassing moments while in high school happened while I was forced by my mother to join my dad, Vern, in doing the weekly laundry. It included all the dirty underwear for the entire family. Of course, the laundromat was located right across the street from …
For those of you who enjoy my Aging blog, I recommend The 80-Something Blog written by Judy Kugel. Judy is a few years older than me in experience, and I learn from her wisdom each week. And we are polar opposites. Judy strikes me as a woman who has done everything right. …