I invested four long days (sometimes enjoyable, sometimes not) reading the advice of popular experts on what goes into living a good life. A few authors stood out in my mind: Arthur Brooks (determine a clear purpose), Brené Brown (embrace vulnerability), Oliver Burkeman (let …
Billy’s parents bought a new icebox. It was delivered in a huge, brown cardboard box to their front yard. It was 1954 in Ames, Iowa, and Billy lived next door. We were excited about Billy’s parents’ purchase — not the icebox, but this new, humongous toy: the brown …
Full disclosure: A wee bit of poetic license has been incorporated into this post, but the bird’s-eye conclusion is rock solid. It was nice getting the old Hiram Scott Research Department back together to solve a major environmental concern. INTRODUCTION Professors …
As many of you are aware, Mark Twain visits me late at night and offers tips on creative writing. I try my best, but I’m a poor student when it comes to matching my mentor’s talent. You may not know that Mark has also been my financial adviser throughout much of my life. …
Without paying a dime, I saw a bare-knuckle fight last week. It was a classic road rage event. Both cars were backing out of their parking spaces at the same time. Their bumpers met. One man, about 40 years old, jumped out of his car and approached the other driver, who …
The older I get, the more my head is packed with wonderful memories of my childhood. From age 4 until 6 (1950 to 1952), I lived on Highway 30 in Ames, Iowa. My whole world drove past me on that 3,000-mile road. I owned about 40 yards of it. My greatest memory was of caravans …
Who is this guy? At age 26, I’m managing a Ramada Inn in Coralville, Iowa. My boss, Rueben Drieling, calls and says he’s sending out Dewey Birdsall to put in new carpeting. “Take good care of Dewey.” So the next day, Dewey Birdsall shows up ready to start work on …
I was pretty ill for a week or so. I won’t bore you with the details, but I thought I was a goner for the first few days. I’ve never had a fear of death. However, I would feel a tinge of sadness about missing out on friends, family and stuff happening tomorrow. Since I …
This week, I’ve been reminiscing about past Julys. What has made the month memorable for you over the years? Here’s one of mine: It was a muggy July night in 1958 when I learned my life was about to change in a big way. I was walking back from playing basketball …
I was about seven years old. I traveled with my dad, Vern, as he made sales calls to farmers in Indiana. Several nights, we watched minor league baseball games with a nice lady, Martha. I got to eat popcorn and Coney dogs and sleep on Martha’s couch with her dog, …
