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BETTER LISTENING SKILLS FOR BETTER UNDERSTANDING

If practicing better listening skills isn’t a life goal, it should be.
How hard is it to pay attention?
You did it in the classroom with the encouragement of a teacher.
I still remember Mr. Kraus singing ‘Toot toot tootsie goodbye’ when he tossed little tootsie rolls to students with the right answer in algebra.
Maybe we need more of that? Instead we get more of this:

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RETURNING REVERENCE TO IT’S RIGHTFUL PLACE

There’s a scent of reverence in the air, of returning reverence after a long pause.
It started in my doctor’s office where I’d been called to sit on a panel with others.
One of the others was Roy Pittman, one of my personal heroes.
The next time I saw the doctor he told me he was surprised at the way I acted, that I showed reverence to Coach Pittman.
If I did, I didn’t know it. What I remember is feeling awe-struck. Maybe it’s the same thing?
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NBA CHAMPION CROWNED, AGAIN

Becoming an NBA champion is a lifelong goal for every basketball player in the world.
The best want to play the best, beat the best, to tell themselves they’re good enough.
It’s that along with contracts and money and fame.
All of that goes along the wayside when you stop playing in ninth grade like me, or in high school.
Do I blame the coaches that I didn’t become a star, a substitute, or even a benchwarmer?
Noooooo, but . . .
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CLEAN LIVING FOR A QUIET LIFE

Clean living is an art form, and like all art it takes practice.
Yes, we’re talking about practice.
It takes practice to talk without a particular tone, without too much edge.
Do that and you may have a productive conversation.
Go ahead and save the tone and edge for people you don’t know, who don’t know you.
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I READ THE NEWS TODAY OH BOY

The news today is all about world events.
News organizations deliver it every day with the same hype and urgency.
News hounds consume every detail and load it onto the pile they carry in case someone asks them ‘what’s up?’
That’s when you brace yourself for the headlines as if they’re coming from an anchorman. Or woman.
That’s the big news story you NEED to know.
The small news, the stories that make us step back, come out another way.
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toughen up

YOU HAVE FEELINGS? DO THEY SAY HAPPY?

  HOW TO TELL IF YOU’RE HAPPY You’ve heard it before, whether you’re ten, thirty-four, or seventy-four years old. Balance. Say it like they said, “Plastic,” in The Graduate. Life, or a good life, depends on balance. Think moderation. Most of the time you hear this and nod and agree like the fat man who […]

CANCER EXERCISE EXPLAINED BY CHEMO RADIATION

    An article came out yesterday supporting the connection between cancer treatment and cancer exercise. It’s a positive connection in case there are doubts.   ‘The Guardian’ rolled out a well studied post with a sub-title, “Leading Australian researchers back world-first campaign for activity to be part of any treatment,” under this title:   […]

IF YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT, LOOK WHERE FOOD COMES FROM

Small print shows where food comes from. Smaller print explains what food factories add to improve shelf life. You need good shelf life when you ship long distance. A three year expiration date on food might be something to skip for dinner. If you know people who identify as ‘foodies’ you’ve heard about the fresh […]

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boomer years

World’s Factory: China Fills Big Box America To The Brim

  The world’s factory, otherwise known as China, fills big box America from Costco to Target to Walmart.   From Home Depot to Lowe’s the world’s factory supplies America with the suburban necessities.   If it’s electronic components, or sporty textiles, or steel, look for the Made in China tag. You won’t have to look […]

ALIENATED BOOMERS VS MODERN HIPPIE

Take a good look at the next Millennial hippie. A twenty-something in tie dye, hygiene averse, stands next to their custom made bicycle at a happening brew pub. This isn’t a Halloween costume, it’s their outfit of choice. Call it lifestyle for lack of a better term. Just don’t call it throwback. Their choice of […]

BABY BOOMER YOUTH GAMES

Could Kids Today Benefit From The Game Of Stretch Or Mumbly Peg? If Millennials and the rest of us want to meet on level ground, we must learn to share our games. A game on television is the easy part. Click a station, then another, until you find a game you both want to watch. […]

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buckle up

PORTLAND FEVER: 1980-1990

    After walking around Manhattan and finding the perfect neighborhood, I wanted to find that neighborhood in Portland. When I did it started Portland fever.   Northwest Portland in late spring reminded me of Greenwich Village on a smaller scale. Like most everything compared to NYC, smaller is normal. Smaller buildings, smaller stores up […]

NW Boomer Travel, pt.1

The Oregon Alps If you look back at Portland from LaGrande, the miles pile up. But you’re not done. You can’t drive to the Swiss Alps on Interstate 84, but the Oregon Alps are a tank of gasoline away. Look for highway 82 and read the signs to Joseph.

Music Fills The Air, Joy Fills The Body, Repeat

    Music in the Floyd Country Store is more than a radio station. The old time music jams on Sundays bring young and old with fiddles, guitars, mandolins, and banjos.   A big circle passes the song from one to another; new player, new song.   It’s American roots music at its finest and […]

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