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PORTLAND BRIDGE RUN AND RESCUE AFTER DARK

July 24, 2021 by

This is my favorite Portland bridge, the Hawthorne Bridge. The picture makes it look longer than it is on foot, or on a bike. When I lived on the west side, I had a job on the east side and crossed it twice a day. Then I moved to east side and worked on the […]

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ONE HOMETOWN VS ALL OTHER HOMETOWNS

July 23, 2021 by

One hometown is like any other town they say. Whoever ‘they’ are, they’re wrong. “A hometown is where young people bide their time before their real life begins,” goes the standard line. “It’s where kids first learn about the real world without bearing the consequences.” Not the case when the hometown is North Bend, Oregon. […]

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IMPERFECT GOALS? NO ONE SAID YOU HAVE TO BE PERFECT

July 22, 2021 by

Imperfect goals are a good reason to write, to explain, to instruct. It doesn’t take a licensed teacher with three masters degrees to understand the pressures of perfection. “Do your work the best you can and let it stand” is the right motto for moving forward. The hard part is watching it all get torn […]

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CHECKING OUT THEN BEFORE CHECKING BACK IN NOW

July 21, 2021 by

Checking out, dropping out, call it what you will, but leave the back door open. Why the back door? Because you may want to check back in and avoid the scrutiny out front. The nice picture above was not taken at an Amish farm last week, or a pioneer homestead in the 1860’s. Nope, none […]

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DYSFUNCTIONAL PARENTS TEACH THEIR KIDS BY EXAMPLE

July 20, 2021 by

Dysfunctional parents come in all sizes, shapes, and colors. Kids raised in a dysfunctional environment come out of it with choices to make. No one chooses to be a dysfunctional parent, but if that’s all you know, what else is there to do? Plenty. Starting with, “What is dysfunctional supposed to mean, smarty pants? You […]

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HUMAN CONNECTIONS YOU SHOULD NOT IGNORE

July 19, 2021 by

Human connections are the ties that bind us together. Whether we like it or not, we can’t look away from others like they don’t matter. At the same time, it takes an effort to realize what caring means. Why would anyone care about strangers in a strange land? If you find yourself confused by the […]

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GOOD JUDGEMENT IN CONSEQUENTIAL TIMES

July 18, 2021 by

Let’s be frank about the notion of good judgement: if you never do anything of consequence, any sort of awareness is fine. Why? Because it doesn’t really matter. The problem is influence. Too many punks have found their ‘voice’ in social media. Instead of yelling at people to stay off their yard, they’ve done some […]

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OBJECT PERMANENCE: WORKING FOR A BETTER LIFE EVERY DAY

July 17, 2021 by

 Object permanence typically starts to develop between 4-7 months of age and involves a baby’s understanding that when things disappear, they aren’t gone forever.  The first time I heard the words ‘Object Permanence’ I liked it. “When things disappear, they aren’t gone forever” makes me happy. As adults we remember the past and remember when […]

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OTHER AMERICA ASKS WHAT’S WRONG, EVERYTHING’S FINE

July 16, 2021 by

The other America sees a problem, but instead of seeking a solution, they tune into their favorite channel to discover if it’s a real problem. And who to blame. Not fix, but blame. Problems don’t go away if you scream a cry loud and often. Shocking? But, not to you? An American living in Germany […]

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BABY LOVE: HOW TO SURVIVE THE OUTCOME WITH A SONG

July 15, 2021 by

Baby love isn’t about babies, it’s about the first time we feel something about another person. What was ‘that something?’ Baby love, because from a distance, a fourteen year old or fifteen year old is a baby. Big, but still a baby fifty years later. Maybe fifty-one. Was it a special teacher that kindled those […]

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