Category: Life Lessons

Last January, Elizabeth and I took part in a book expo in The Villages.  Part of our setup included a spinning wheel.  Visitors could spin the wheel and win a prize.  We gave away candy, book marks and slips of paper with “life lessons”.  The lessons looked like the fortunes you’d find in a fortune …

I’m heading back to Michigan tomorrow. I’m not the same guy that came to Florida last September. I’ve gained a new shoulder, added two heart stents and in spite of my new hardware, I’ve lost over thirty-five pounds. I’m basically the same guy inside but with different goals. I never dreamed of being where I …

There’s a song that came out when I was in high school called Little Boxes.  Pete Seeger released the social satire in 1963 as a criticism of the creation of suburbia with its urban sprawl and conformity. “Little boxes on the hillside. Little boxes made of ticky -tacky. Little boxes, little boxes. Little boxes all …

I’ve started reading the Eight Dates book that my sister Jackie bought for me.  It’s written by John Gottman and his wife Julie Swartz Gottman.  I’ve written a bit about the book before. Since my last post, I’ve been told that it’s most meaningful if it’s read with a potential partner. It doesn’t differentiate between …

I started writing this story in April of 2022.  I found it in my draft folder, and I’ve decided to give it another go. As you read, you’ll discover it’s a story from my elementary principal days.  They ended on November 4, 1991, when I became a superintendent.  That was thirty-four years ago.  Time flies. …

If you grew up any time in the last several decades, the phrase “dibs” will be a memory that brings up either pain or pleasure, depending on whether or not you successfully snagged that last slice of pizza. “Dibs” is a popular slang phrase used to refer to the first right to something. Sometimes it’s …

I started going to dances when I was in the seventh grade at Clara Barton Junior High. The only “fast” dance I did was “the twist”. Tom Sneller and I were the only two brave guys back then. We’d twist away with the girls while Chubby Checker sang. Most of the time the girls stood …

If you look up Dani’s book, Racing to Death, on Amazon this is what you’ll see. Daniela Daniels was well-known in northern Europe as one of the first female motorcycle racers until a horrific accident took her life on the racetrack. When the ambulance arrived, she was revived but stayed in a coma for the …

A tailor is preparing to eat some jam, but when flies settle on it, he kills seven of them with one blow of his hand. He makes a belt describing the deed, reading “Seven at One Blow”. Inspired, he sets out into the world to seek his fortune. The tailor meets a giant who assumes …

A few years ago, my daughter in law, Lindsay, bought me a tee shirt which has Just a Kid from Detroit printed on the front. It’s navy blue with orange print. Whenever I wear it, especially in Florida, people comment on it.  They want to know if I’m really from Detroit.  They know I’m not …