Category: Life Lessons

I played poker with my Jackson crew last week.  Tom hosted.  It’s the first time I’ve seen him this summer.  When Covid hit we didn’t play for several months.  When we did begin, we cut way back on snacks and drinks.  We went from elaborate meals to individual bags of chips and drinks. We’ve gradually …

I fancy myself a bit of a romantic. I used to write poetry. I didn’t write a lot of poems, but enough to give the medium a shot. They were simple because that’s how I chose to write. I still do. I stopped writing poetry after I got married. It’s not that I didn’t have …

I saw a video clip on Facebook the other day that compared one’s life to riding on a merry-go-round.  You get one trip around. New people get on as riders depart.  The departing part is dying.    The comparison emphasizes the fact that life is short.  We get a turn to live it but we’re …

When I was a kid, I took a lot of turns. Some were fun but not all.  Sometimes I got to choose, and others were cast upon me. I preferred those that involved a choice but that’s not always possible. My mom gave me my first instructions about taking turns. If we didn’t discuss it …

The first time I recall having a thought about oatmeal was on one of the trips that our family took to visit Old Granny Barner in Bowling Green, Kentucky. We drove in my dad’s 1953 Ford about a year and a half after my sister, Jackie, was born. Dad packed the suitcases on the floor …

I published the following story on November 22, 2017.  It’s the second story I posted. My first was about my friend, Ed. I tried to point out that the opportunities that come our way are numerous.  It’s up to us to make the most of them.  I was writing about economic opportunities I failed to …

A few years ago, Ruth and I stopped to see the Noah’s Ark exhibit in northern Kentucky. It was right off the highway on our way to The Villages. We often broke up our trips by stopping at local attractions when we traveled between Michigan and Florida. When the kids were young, we were in …

I’ve shared a lot of meals with a lot of people and through the process determined that I prefer eating at a round table vs a square or rectangular one. When our kids were growing up, we had an antique ash table that Ruth and I bought when we first got married. We bought it …

I started cardio rehab this week. I’ll be attending three times a week for the next twelve weeks. If I miss a session, they’ll add it to the end. There are two parts to each appointment. The first is instructional and the second is cardio exercise. We’ll be building on stamina and strength. And, hopefully, …

It’s a big day today. I’m starting my cardio rehab. Immediately after receiving my two heart stents, I was directed to start five medications and go through cardio rehab. I was preparing to return to Michigan, so I opted for rehab in the mitten. I arrived almost four weeks ago, but today’s the first time …