I’ve been mostly retired for a couple months now. I don’t feel like a retirement expert, but boy, I’ve learned a few things the hard way. Don, it’s not necessary to get up at 5 each morning as if you have some place to go at 6:30. No one is waiting for you at the office. …
Little decisions can have monster impacts over time. I have one example. Twenty-five years ago, Sherry and I purchased our home. We knew this was “it” for the rest of our lives. It wasn’t fancy, but it came with lots of rugged land that just needed a bunch of time and …
It’s nice to recognize you are an expert at something. Lately, I’ve recognized I am an expert at making mistakes. I have a 70-year record to prove it. Studying my past faux pas and larger errors in judgment is an exciting and frightful experience. However, it has helped …
Definition of brevity: Concise and exact words in writing and speech Boy, I think I flunked again. When I decided to write this Aging blog three times a week, I promised brevity. Tell a story. Offer a hidden message. Attempt to bring a smile or a near tear. And then get out …
Guess what? I believe I’m going full circle from old man to little kid. Do you want proof just from today? When I was seven, Sister Mary Theresa made me and the other second graders lay our heads down on our desks for a 15-minute afternoon nap. This afternoon, I was working …
It was a magical time. I was a young guy who was lucky enough to wind up working as director of student activities at a small college in Denison, Iowa. I was newly married to Kitty, who taught at Denison High School. We lived in a tiny, tiny house in a nice part of town. We …
Every Thursday morning, I am blessed by reading Alyssa Forcehimes’ blog, Leading with Heart. Yesterday was special for me in that Alyssa gave me exactly what I needed. Her message was a simple one of being thankful for the small things that come your way each day. She made …
No big deal! So I broke this old crystal glass a few nights ago while doing the dishes after Sherry had gone to bed. I guess it was passed on from Sherry’s mother, who got it from her mother and so on. It was really old and fragile. With the holidays and all, I …
This gets personal, but I think there are two important messages at the end. I’ve had a 34-inch waist for many years. All my dress pants and jeans are 34s. Over the last 10 weeks, I’ve had some real issues with walking due to my osteoarthritis, two hip replacements and three …
I fell down in the deep snow of our winter blizzard and couldn’t get up. My Swiss shepherds went immediately into action. Nigel Jay, our alpha dog, rushed to the front gate to protect me from dangerous intruders. The only possible intruder in a snow storm is our neighbor …
