I remember my first bad grade. In my home, it was a major event. I coolly dropped the card next to my Mom’s purse, hoping she would just sign it off. No such luck. She saw the C in social studies and for an hour it seemed, we talked about what “Average” meant. And there would be no average in our family. We came from a proud line of immigrants who fought and struggled to survive. The men in the... Read more
Last week a Greeley Colorado man was surprised to hear of his own death. Apparently, his obituary had run in the local paper, placed by a family member upset with Edgar Balderrma’s . Friends and family were calling Balderrma’s wife. Well-wishers descended on the family. People even brought money to his not-widowed wife, to help raise their two children. And since he was out working at the dairy, he missed out on dozens of frantic phone calls and text messages, wondering what had... Read more
Yesterday is was 50 degrees. Today it’s supposed to snow 10-12 inches. “Will it be the winter of despair or the spring of hope?” asked Charles Dickens. In a thousand different ways in a thousand different times I’ve asked that very question in my heart of hearts. I’m not alone. It even comes out in playful traditions, like Punxsutawney Phil, the erstwhile groundhog in Punxsatawney, PA, who saw his shadow this morning. These days we stand on the precipice of seasonal change.... Read more
I remember sitting on the front step with my buddy, Rodney. Our bikes were leaning against the house, caked in mud. He had a “Don’t Tread on Me Flag” mounted behind his seat. I had a stick mounted on my handlebar like a spear. We picked at our scabs and talked about our adventure for the day. We wore our hats backwards and burned ants and threw rocks at jars for target practice. He stuck his knee out and traced a two... Read more
My next-door neighbor, Bob, is a good guy. He’s a kid’s doctor. He drives a motorcycle and has tatoos, but has a gentle nature that children … and their parents … adore. In summers past we have leaned on rakes and talked politics and weather. We have shoveled the shared sidewalks in the freezing cold and dug out fence posts that blew over with strong spring rains. He has two great kids who are polite and fun-loving. They look adults... Read more
He pulled the rope taut, and with a flick of the wrist and lightning quick motions with his thumb and forefinger and he had a knot. I was nine and amazed. Image by mr.smashy I wanted to tie knots. I began to dream of all the things I could connect rope to. I could tie one on the branch of a tree and swing on a tire like I’d seen on The Waltons. I could pull my wagon with my bike... Read more
There’s plenty to occupy the mind of the pessimist. A Bleak economy. Bad news around the world. A protracted war. Heavy traffic. Moral decline.Indigestion. Post nasal drip. You name it – and it’s happening in very real ways. Image by Ankher via Flickr If you are pessimist by nature, you’ve got to be feeling a little smug right now. It doesn’t help that the current presidential selection process is based on who has the worst news to reveal.I can hear the nay-sayer now.... Read more
The best-selling toys from this last Christmas season were hi-tech inventions, full of innovation and wizardry. Many of them need batteries or a manual. If I was a kid, I might be fascinated with them for a while, but then go back to something simple. If you look at the best-selling toys of all time include the Hula Hoop, the View Master, the Slinky, the Pet Rock, Zhu Zhu pets, Mr. Potato Head, Cabbage Patch Dolls, Gameboys, Barbie, and Nerf... Read more
His name was Ed and he liked to talk. The administrator down the hall was one of those guys. He had a story for every situation. He’d been everywhere. He’d done everything. Ed had driven trucks for 12 years. He ran a pool hall for six years. He served as a hunting outfitter for four years and had been in his current job for 21 years. When I did the math, he was well north of 80 years old —... Read more
How do you gain respect in your workplace? Leave a comment here. Sports fan or not, if you want to be respected, this post is for you. The big news in the sporting world is that Quarterback Tim Tebow led an unlikely charge of the Denver Broncos into the second round of the playoffs. They lost to the Patriots, but there’s more to the story. Image by Jeffrey Beall via Flickr Tebow was a Heisman Trophy winner and led the University of Florida... Read more
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