Category: Life Lessons

Read the Manual The 1970’s featured two oil crises.  One was in 1973 and a second followed in 1979.  As a result,  gas prices escalated.  While the diesel auto engine was put into production in the 1930’s, its popularity increased in the late 70’s and early 80’s in part because of the oil crisis.   …

Today is Brady’s first day of high school.  He’s officially a ninth grader.  Eva made the move from elementary to  middle school last year so she knows the ropes.  If Ruth and I were still working we’d be getting ready for our first day as well.  Ruth would be dreading it, and I would be …

During my fifteen years in Addison there was one group that I was very confident would always have my back, the boys at the fire barn. The fire barn was located directly across the street from the elementary school. While its true that it was a gathering place for political discourse, I was always sure …

Culture I had a crew of 34 high school students finish their two week assignments with local businesses  last Friday.   Going in they talked about articulated credits and scholarship opportunities.  Coming out they talked about culture.  They didn’t use the word, but that’s what they meant. They talked about eight different business locations that …

Ruth and I dropped our land line about ten years ago. We each had a cell phone and didn’t see the need for a third phone. Before the final drop, Ruth changed her cell phone number to our land line number. We felt a bit nostalgic about the number and didn’t want to let it …

A couple of times a year my Michigan poker group plays golf together.  It’s really a perfect day for me because I get to do two things that I love – play golf and poker.  Best of all I get to play with a bunch of guys I really care about.  We played this week. …

Chicken or the Egg Fuzzy moved in with Gary, Jim and I for our senior year. We moved into a honest to goodness apartment outside of campus. Fuzzy was with us for only part of the year, but it was memorable. Jim’s girlfriend, Lynn, built an incubator, placed a fertile egg inside, and hatched a …

I met Don my first day of college.   I knew a couple of classmates from Royal Oak were attending Western and found comfort that “At least I’ll know someone.”  Don became my first “new” friend. Don proved to be quite a character.  He grew up on a Wisconsin farm. He was a big, strong, …

I graduated from Western Michigan University in June of 1969. I would have graduated in April but I was two classes short of the required credits, so I attended Spring term. (I played too much my junior year.) That was 50 years ago almost to the day. I intended to earn a Bachelor’s degree that …

Rick and Jan were our first “couple friends” when I took the job in Addison.  They had one child, Greg, and we had two, David and Elizabeth.  The four of us were young and just  beginning our careers.  Rick had been promoted as the new Addison Middle School principal, and I was hired to lead …