Category: Life Lessons

My sister, Jackie, bought me a book for Christmas. It’s an autographed copy of Mitch Album’s Twice.  I just got around to reading it.  The truth is I’m not done but I’ve got the gist. Mitch and I go way back.  Ruth bought me an autographed copy of Tuesdays with Morrie, his all-time best seller, …

When I returned to Florida after Ruth’s accident in September of 2022, the bed wasn’t made. It was stripped down to the mattress pad.  Ruth had a habit of changing the sheets just before we headed North or South, so we had a clean bed when we arrived. It was the first time I was …

I originally posted this story on January 24, 2018.  It was my twenty-fourth blog.  This is number eight hundred and sixty-eight. I’ve enjoyed a career in education spanning over forty-five years. I’ve taught, served as a building principal, been a school superintendent and now do consulting work. Once, several years ago in my elementary school …

Last week in my Single New Beginnings class one of the participants asked me a question about a quotation that we read every week. I’ve been reading it for over a year. She’s read it for over two but never raised the question before. I was surprised when she took exception to the statement and …

My friend Jim believed time mattered. Not just his own, but everyone’s. He treated punctuality as a form of respect. He set every clock and watch ten minutes fast. If he said he’d arrive at 6:00, he’d be in my driveway at 5:50. I didn’t mind that so much in the evenings, but in the …

I have a little bulletin board positioned above my desk in Florida.  I see it every day when I’m sitting at my computer and I change very little of it.  It’s got a place for storing envelopes, both legal and letter size, a postcard Ruth sent herself from Cuba in 2019, a post it note …

The BIG takeaway from my karaoke lessons, and the approximately forty-four hours of dance lessons, is simply this: what do you have to lose?  Stepping out of your comfort zone is all about expanding your horizon.  Sometimes you’ve just got to go for it. My dance partner Barbara and I have completed three-quarters of the …

If you’re reading this on Wednesday, my heart catheterization went smoothly yesterday. It was a follow-up to the one I had last April. I’ve had some lightheadedness and heavy legs lately, so my cardiologist thought it was wise to take another look. Sounds pretty dramatic, doesn’t it? In any case, I’m going to be busy …

I have a few friends who refer to their closest companions as belonging to a tribe. It sounded odd the first time I heard it, but over time I’ve come to understand its meaning and significance. According to Google, “Historically, tribes were the earliest form of organized human society. People lived, worked, hunted, celebrated, and …

I posted the following several years ago shortly after my friend, Jim, died.  The idea that our time on earth is limited was in the forefront of my thoughts. Time is a funny thing.  When we’re young time passes very slowly.  Our next birthday and Christmas seem like they’ll never come. Summer vacations are about …