When I neared the end of the teaching portion of my career, personal computers were just finding their way into schools. They started in offices and made their way slowly into classrooms. Apple, PET, Texas Instrument, Atari and several other brands made their way onto the hi-tech scene . Life, as we knew it, changed …
Category: Life Lessons
James A. Marvin
I met Jim Marvin about 30 years ago at a poker game. I was invited to sub with a group that he belonged to. I liked him right away. Eventually, I became a member of the group and while playing several hundred hands of cards we became good friends. The group took turns hosting …
Time
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 the only “time” of the year that time passes quickly. I was going through some old school documents from my education career and ran across the following story. …
My Rookie Year
I became an elementary school principal in 1977. I had two interviews prior to getting the job. The first was with the superintendent, Roger, the high school principal, Don, and the middle school principal, Rick. They liked me and invited me back for a second interview which was held in a local restaurant. This …
A Den of Thieves
Several years ago, while all three of our children were college students, I discovered that Ruth and I had raised a den of thieves. This is not my proudest moment as a story-teller but facts are facts. Several months ago, when I began my new story telling blogging career, I pledged to only tell true …
Study Hard
I began my working career at a young age. I had a lot of jobs that helped fund my lifestyle, but most importantly taught me the importance of working for a living. I’ve been an independent contractor and I’ve “worked for the man”. I’ve been a “union man” and a “non-union man”. I expect …
The Most Important Lesson of My Life
The most important lesson of my life was taught to me by a seven-year old boy. He wasn’t just any seven-year-old. He was mine. He turns 40 at a little after 1:00 p.m. today. Michael is the third of our three children. We didn’t plan to have three, but like most …
Three EKGs and a Stress Test
Over the past 71 years I’ve undergone several medical procedures. None (knock on wood) have ever discovered anything serious. I’ve never been a big risk taker so I think that has helped me maintain my health. I’m overweight but have never smoked. I’d identify myself as being in good health (knock again). …
Story Telling
I had lunch with my grandson, Brady, on Saturday and while we were talking I told him the story of three instances involving my getting an electrocardiogram. He laughed at the end and told me that he “loved it” when I told stories. “You’re a good story-teller.” Later, it struck me that there …
Perspective
Last October 17th I had an appointment with a new doctor to speak with him about my back issues. The office was the home base for a group of orthopedic doctors who specialized in all sorts of body parts: knees, shoulders, legs, arms, backs, hips, etc. I sat next to a guy in the …