This may never happen to you but, from time to time, I just want to run from myself. For example, I was recently at a meeting with a group of community leaders who were exploring the launching of a new city project. Of all the people in the room, my guess is I was the …
Last night, I pulled out one of my old journals. It was from a time long ago when I recognized I had made some big mistakes. I was in trouble. However, never a person who lacked aplomb, I had a grandiose plan to fix everything. I wish the older, wiser me today could have …
Your response to my request to come up with a single word to represent the fourth quarter of our lives was overwhelming. Thanks for taking your time to help me out. Some of you broke the rules and replied with more than a single word. As a lifelong rule breaker, I …
Over the years, I’ve never paid much attention to my toenails. They just hung out at the end of my toes, requesting no special attention. Actually, they were self-sustaining. A number of times, I dropped heavy stuff on my toes. A nail or two would turn black and then fall …
Let’s pretend we all are going to live to be 100 years old. And we wish to break our full lives into quarters and define each quarter with a single word. What would those four words be? I’m approaching the end of my third quarter, so my first three words are based on …
For much of my life, when I found myself in financial trouble, I would get a night job bartending. Tips were great, and I learned some wisdom for the rest of my life. Take this exchange for example: College professor on barstool: “You seem like a bright young man. It’s …
While working for The University of Wisconsin, my boss Dan Van Eyck was one of the brightest men I’ve ever known. Dan led the academic affairs office for 14 of the university’s campuses. For some reason, Dan trusted me and sent me out to all 14 campuses on a regular basis. …
I’m in a great battle. My adversary is the foxtail. These weeds that look so green and engaging in the spring become a bitter enemy as they turn hay yellow and grow sharp barbs by early summer. The only way to successfully defeat the foxtail is to grab it firmly at the …
These are scary times, no matter how old you happen to be. Last weekend, I saw one of my favorite cities out of control. I saw enraged clusters of protesters attempting to bring attention to legitimate national injustices. I saw people breaking windows and stealing bottles …
Young kids and old men have something in common. If they have an ingenious trick to pull off, they don’t get too concerned about the consequences. One of my best stunts in grade school was with my buddy, Super Steve. We were playing football on the playground, and Super …