“Simplicity. . . It’s like a step we’ve forgotten how to dance, a native language we’ve forgotten how to speak in a rushy complex world.” Sandy Gingras As I turn right on Walker Key Boulevard, a special calmness comes over me. I slow down to negotiate the first of four strategically placed speed bumps on the entrance street to our beach condo community. River, our pet canine, raises up in the back seat in a Pavlok-type response to the bumps, noting that we have arrived. My wife Carol says … [Read more...]
In Control
“Only you can control your future.” Dr. Seuss I like to be in control of my life. I want to know in advance the outcome of the effort I make in any project. In the event of any negative surprises, I need to have adequate preparation time in which to plan my response. How about you? Despite my aspiration, reality exits. With two daughters and their spouses, eight grandchildren (the ‘Exceptional Eight’), and our family pet ‘River,’ I have concluded that I have very little control over … [Read more...]
Little Sister
“Letters are among the most significant memorial a person can leave behind them.” Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Seeing the familiar number on my cell phone, I quickly press the button and say, “Hello, Janice.” She begins, “Hey, Robert.” (Unfortunately, at this point in my life, I am always a little nervous when answering the phone call from one of my sisters). I am thinking about the possibility of bad news. It is part of being a certain age. Parents experience this when children call, … [Read more...]
Tiny Bite
“Just a tad,” I respond to Alison, our longtime family dentist. After first placing and then removing the permanent crown on my tooth, she is making adjustments so that my upper and lower teeth come together in unison. After several bite tests, followed by some grinding down of the crown, my teeth are almost hitting at the same time. We are getting close. Although the adjustments Alison is making are actually very tiny – fractional in actual measurement – that difference is significant in … [Read more...]
Just Coffee
“Life is an echo. What you send out, comes back. What you sow, you reap. What you give, you get. What you see in others, exists in you.” Zig Ziglar As Matt approaches the counter, he remembers what had happened just a week earlier in this same convenience store. As he pulled out his wallet to pay for a cup of coffee, the clerk told him that an elderly gentleman who had just left the store had already covered the cost of his beverage. Matt hurriedly sought and found this thoughtful … [Read more...]
Happy Birthday
“It takes a long time to become young.” Pablo Picasso At this point, it is not too important to be accurate on the exact number – that is, the number that represents my age. I have been around a long time – let’s leave it at that. I hope to be here for at least a few more years. Without excessive revelation, let’s just say that I am in the fourth quarter of my life. Happy Birthday! Hmmm. While I really don’t seek anything special for my birthday, I was amazed by the large number of folks … [Read more...]
Real Rest
Taking time to do nothing often brings everything into perspective. Doe Zantamata “Alright, let’s go walk on the pier,” my wife announces. It is late in the afternoon. Our Australian Labradoodle, River – who completely understands southern drawl English—is already up and jumping like crazy at the door! One of his favorite things to do is to walk on our 960-foot pier that protrudes over the wetlands, ending at Alligator Bayou. The attraction is the marshland, with its distinctive smell and its … [Read more...]
A Contrarian View
"The conventional view serves to protect us from the painful job of thinking.” John Kenneth Galbraith As soon as I am comfortable with a view I have adopted, it is going to be challenged by the ultimate challenger in my life, my wife Carol. Sometimes, I just know that I am on solid ground. Then, I dive into a one-on-one with my life partner, and soon I have second thoughts about a view that seemed to be certain only minutes earlier. It would not be an exaggeration to say that Carol poses a … [Read more...]
Tee-Shirt Message
“Never, never, never give up.” Sir Winston Churchill ‘The harder you train, the smaller your obstacles become” were the words imprinted on the back of his tee-shirt. We were with our grandkids at a yogurt shop in Orange Beach -- everyone was chomping into delicious desserts. Fifteen-year old Chase, when questioned about the meaning of the motto he was sporting on his comfortable apparel, responded quizzically that he was uncertain about the slogan; nor could he remember how he acquired … [Read more...]
Repetition
“A baseball swing is a very finely tuned instrument. It is repetition, and more repetition, then a little more after that.” Reggie Jackson I pull back on the throttles of the twin 715 diesels of The Great Gab-Sea as we approach the ‘trolling corridor,’ an area located about 8.5 miles south of Perdido Pass in the Gulf of Mexico. Our team grabs the rods and reels that have already been prepared with different selected lures. Choosing my compass heading, I engage the engines in idle speed as … [Read more...]
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