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PEP TALK? MY BEST MEMORY BEFORE A BIG WRESTLING MATCH

When does a pep talk make all the difference? You’re warmed up, ready to go, just as the coach gives last instructions. As a high school wrestler in my second year, I needed all the pep I could get. Ordinarily you wouldn’t put a second year guy out against a well known mauler, but . […]

FOR OLDER PEOPLE: WHAT’S IT LIKE?

Who doesn’t like a question directed to ‘older people?’ This was the question from twitter: I wonder what it’s like for the older people now, who were born in the previous millennium. How can people born in 1999 be old? Easy.

WORTH REMEMBERING? IT STARTS WITH EVERYTHING THEN A LITTLE LESS

It’s worth remembering the important things in your life. Did I ever know about the lines in a red cup? Will it matter in the future? I like the idea of the lines meaning something, but I just want a full pour of whatever’s supposed to be in there.

INSIGHTFUL AGING TAKES PRACTICE

Insightful aging? Oh yeah, I’ve got insight. It’s not such a reach when you see people leaving the party way too soon. Once you’re done, you’re done, then the question is how will you be remembered? So how will you be remembered? How do you want to be remembered?

SCOREBOARD MATTERS IN SPORTS AND LIFE

When a game ends, any game, anywhere, scoreboard matters. Coaching co-ed youth soccer teams meant getting trained to de-emphasize the final score. The problem was the kids. They kept score with each other.

LIFETIME MISTAKE TO CHANGE?

Have you made a lifetime mistake? Better yet, have you done it quietly so no one would notice? Good job. Now, since we’re all getting down the road with less lifetime in front than in back, in theory, you want to change, you want to fix that mistake. Good luck.

BIRTH WATERS: YOUR RIVER, LAKE, OR BAY. OKAY, AND OCEAN

Birth waters are usually called ‘breaking waters.’ I’ll get back to that. For now let’s say “Birth Waters,” and leave the amniotic fluid for later. Let’s throw in some suspension of disbelief while we’re at it, okay?

THE WESTERN WAY + + +

The western way shows a solitary figure on a journey of self-discovery. That was my goal when I started. Just me and the boys and a dog. John, Bill, Stu, and Ruby. I would encase the memory like high-silica ground water does to fallen logs buried in mud. Except my memory would take three weeks, […]

GENERATIONAL MEMORY: A BLESSING OR A CURSE

Start writing about generational memory and you’ll need a shovel, then another shovel. Look into a family history and learn about angels and devils, but mostly angels if it’s told right. Why angels? Because the devils argue too much. They all say, “It wasn’t that bad.”

FAMILY HISTORY FROM BOTH SIDES

Family history comes in two varieties: The first: We don’t talk about that side of the family. The second: We can’t say enough about that side of the family. That’s the starting place for going off the rails.