This is one of my favorite photos from the past. There are so many reasons why but I’m going to point out one of the less obvious. My daughter is in the backpack and it may look like I’m carrying her but she is actually carrying me. The stories of mo...

Over the weekend, I got the opportunity to go see Top Gun: Maverick. There are no true spoilers below other than the path is similar. That shouldn’t be a huge surprise to anyone who has seen a movie, read a book or heard an epic story. We’ve been tel...

While visiting my brothers in Maryland, I did my swimming at totally different YMCA. The ceiling was so much higher than my normal location. It made the pool seem like it was shorter in distance. As if it were less than the standard 25 meters that I...

This phrase has so many connotations to it! The most powerful for me is the link to the original Rocky movie and his desire simply to withstand the onslaught of a superior opponent. Later in my life, it co-opted for a moronic song (in my opinion) by...

Most people do not aim to look foolish. Quite the opposite! The average person does their best to avoid looking foolish. Societal norms, fashion trends, rules of thumb and so many other mechanisms are in place to keep us from looking like a fool. The...

It’s easy to get caught up in how things are “supposed to be”! A speed boat is supposed to go fast, induce a rush of adrenaline and glide across the water with ease. That’s what a speedboat is supposed to do. BUT what about when it doesn’t? What happ...

As a father of two teenagers, I recognize that I have a limited window in which I am still their primary caretaker. At a certain point, they will take care of themselves. It’s the eventuality that parents tend to both desire and lament. The children...

My grandmother worked at a roller rink for my entire childhood. Despite that fact, I didn’t get “good” at roller skating until there was a rink in my hometown. For a few months, at most a year, it was the place for every teenager to hang out on a Fri...

Keeping things alive is often the order of the day. If you’re a parent of a newborn, it’s directive number one. Farmers need to keep their crops alive through nourishment and protection. CEOs and other employees are charged with keeping their company...

When I played soccer in college during my freshman year, there was a player on the team from the Gambia named Ousman (pronounced “ooze mahn”). He was relatively quiet but an absolutely amazing player who had a rocket of a shot. Being in a new country...