I don’t remember where I found this, but I like it. It may have come from my minister friend, Barbara. It sounds like something she’d share. Youth gives you speed. Aging can give you mastery and mastery is far more powerful. The people who glow later in life didn’t escape aging. They befriended it. There’s …
Category: Life Lessons
The 80/20 Rule
When I was going through my cardio rehab last summer, the group leaders spoke about the importance of a healthy diet, regular exercise, positive mindset and a supportive environment. When I spoke with our dietitian, she mentioned the 80/20 rule. She emphasized doing the right thing at least eighty percent of the time. I did …
Twice
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, …
Gunmetal Gray
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 …
It’s Gonna Rain Again…Part Two
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 …
Failure and Success
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 …
Timing is Everything
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 …
Habits of Mind
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
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
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 …

