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 …
Category: Life Lessons
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 storyteller.” 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 …
Kitchen Poker
A few years ago there was a public campaign that asked the “average Joe” to submit an idea for a new reality TV show. The hope was that someone from somewhere would have an idea unique enough to be produced on television. I am an “average Joe” who is someone from somewhere so I submitted …
Bobby Unser, Paul Newman, and Me – Episode Two
The four travelers didn’t knock on my apartment door until about 10:00. All of that concern about nothing. They had decided to drive to Allegan before picking me up. Uncle Harry’s parents are buried in a local cemetery and he wanted to place flowers on their grave. After visiting the cemetery they stopped …
Bobby Unser, Paul Newman, and Me
The 52nd International 500 Mile Sweepstakes (AKA the Indianapolis 500) was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Thursday May 30, 1968. For the second year in a row, one of Andy Granatelli’s STP Turbine-powered machines was leading late in the race, but once again, it failed within sight of victory. On …
Naps
When it comes to taking naps I think that there are two types of people in the world , those who do and those who don’t. I’m a doer. According to the National Sleep Foundation, more than 85% of mammalian species are polyphasic sleepers, meaning that they sleep for short periods throughout the day. Humans …
The Underachiever
The importance of hard work was instilled upon me by my parents. My mom graduated from high school but my dad only attended school through the eighth grade. That was normal for many kids born in the late teens and twenties. They wanted more for my two sisters and me. They encouraged me to …
Flight 245
Ruth and I were passengers on Flight 245 from Las Vegas and Los Angeles on September 3, 2011. We had visited Vegas as a celebration of our wedding anniversary. After our time in Vegas we planned to make a short hop over to Los Angles prior to boarding a flight for our final …