Back when I was about 12 or 13, in the mezzaluna phase of the twentieth century, my Mom forced me to endure unfathomable torture. She drove me to a quiet hillside, out on the backroads of Eastern Kansas. And she turned off the ignition to the ’48 Chevy pickup, opened the driver’s door, stepped outside, and said, “OK, slide over behind the wheel.” (for … Read the rest…
Category Archives: life is beautiful
Here’s a little something from nineteen ninety nine in nineteen eighty two. “Cuz they say two thousand zero zero party over, Oops out of time – So tonight I’m gonna party like it’s 1999.” Just in case you forgot, or something, I’m quoting from that famous philosopher, Prince. Or is it the artist formerly known as Prince? Or is it Skipper? Hey, I’m not makin’ fun. … Read the rest…
Back in the day (as they say) there was a short expression to describe somebody who could run fast. It went like this, “Man, he can really move it.” Do they still say that? I don’t know. But I probably do once in a while. Because when something works, you keep it. Despite the so-called trends and fads. And sometimes when something doesn’t work … Read the rest…
I’ve mentioned before how I spent summers in Kansas after my parents split up. And I’ve shared how I worked hard, long hours bucking bales of hay. But my recent trip there, for my Mom’s memorial, reminded me how Kansas is awesome in the springtime. Elgielene and I drove through the countryside a few times while we were there. And she must’ve commented a … Read the rest…
Life is full of up’s and down’s. But that’s part of what makes it so interesting. Because it’s not the easy stuff that makes you stronger. It’s the tough stuff. And if you’ve lived longer than a couple of decades, you’re at least starting to see what I mean. Right? Tough stuff is available everywhere. I remember way, way back in the 1980’s, I … Read the rest…
It’s been a weird April this year. And I’m in a particularly contemplative way as I think about what the past 7 days included. A second drive to Kansas, in the past couple of months. But not for fun. Because on April 17 a group of family and friends memorialized my Mom. And just two days later was the anniversary of my Dad’s birthday. … Read the rest…
I just heard some statistics about suicide this past week that were very disturbing. Of course, I’m sure the topic is fresh on minds since Robin Williams decided to take his own life. Suicide is more than three times as likely to be the cause of death as murder by gun. It’s almost twenty times as likely to be the cause of death as … Read the rest…