As I age, it becomes more apparent to me that I can only control what I choose to do, not what those around me have in mind. I have a neighbor, Buck, who has led a pretty charmed life. Unlike my track record, Buck seems to know when to buy into business deals and when …
Kids don’t need to learn to spell anymore. That’s what Google and Bing are for. However, on my desk is a copy of Webster’s New Practical Dictionary from 1951. It belonged to my mother, who used it daily as a secretary at the Ames Trust and Savings Bank. On the blank yellowed …
I think everyone over 70 should have Roy M. Quick, my cat for almost two decades. Let’s face it, I’m a dog guy. My other two cats don’t care a smidgen about what’s going on in my life. They don’t come when I call them. They stare at me from across the room and make …
This is a stressful topic for me to write about: stress. My stress doesn’t come quietly or softly. It’s like I have a red warning light that keeps blinking inside my brain that’s often accompanied by a blaring siren. I know it’s silly, but I feel a huge responsibility for …
As I’m growing older, people around me are getting smarter. Back in the day, I remember my parents, teachers and other “wisdom figures” dishing out advice and guidance. They kept feeding me a bunch of malarkey about stuff that just didn’t matter. Often, out of obligation or …
I know an old guy by the name of Joe. I’m guessing he’s about my age. Joe’s done some amazing things the right way. He married his high school sweetheart and raised four children. He had one job his whole life and retired with high corporate honors. He lives in a brown house …
The older I get, the more reading chairs I seize around our home. Sherry, the dominant power of the household, complains that a book or magazine of mine remains indefinitely on at least four seating areas. She attempts to gather them up and put them on a shelf, but I have …
As I’m getting old, I recognize my friends fall into two camps: filtered and unfiltered. For example, my friend Bradley is a filtered guy. Before retirement, he was a dean in the University of Wisconsin System and respected by all his colleagues. Everyone counted on Bradley. …
One of my heroes had a stroke. I’ve known him nearly a lifetime. Kevin lovingly told me many years ago to quit talking so much about myself and my fabricated success stories. He said to stay quiet and listen to the wisdom and beauty of others. At the time, I did not have the …
One of my favorite paintings is The Rescuer by MacKenzie Thorpe. It hangs in our dining room and portrays a shepherd carrying a white sheep on his back through steep grass before a storm hits. It makes me think of how all of us in days gone by have been the rescued sheep in …