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GIVING UP THE FIRST TIME

I don’t remember giving up, quitting, rising the white flag. But here we are, and I’m not alone. There’s the rocking chair, the TV, the food delivery. As long as everything lasts, why not rot away quietly? Why not? Here’s why not with Kurt Vonnegut:

WRITING REWARDS YOU MISS IF YOU DON’T WRITE

Writing rewards come in flavors other than green. JD Salinger said the act of writing is reward enough. That from a guy who locked himself up for his reward. But he didn’t throw away the key.

GOOD TWITTER, BAD X?

Good twitter was a great scroll. Celebrities and famous names shared their interests, causes, and struggles. They made themselves look almost normal, which was nice. Not so nice?

COMPARISON CULTURE: BETTER THAN WHAT?

Comparison culture didn’t start with social media, but that’s where it found fertile ground. Baby Boomers and every generation before, all had the same comparison: My Dad is better than your dad. What comes after that? Maybe a fight.

WOMEN’S HEALTHCARE, A PORTLAND STORY

Women’s healthcare is just another story if you’re not a woman, don’t know any women, if there are no women in your life? Does that sum things up for you, or does it sound far fetched? Everybody has women in their lives at some point. Just ask your mom, your grandma, your sister, your wife, […]

CLEAR DOWN RANGE NEW MEANING

The first time I heard the call of “CLEAR DOWN RANGE” I was laying in the dirt with the guys, Fort Ord dirt, and trying to fit three bullets inside the diameter of a quarter. The best I got was two in with a stray nearby. The rifle range targets were a head and shoulder […]

FRAGILE MEN CLUB? YOU’RE ALREADY SIGNED UP

Fragile men had no place in Western American history stories about the savage frontier and cruel hardships. Nor in the early industrialization with mighty oil, steel, and railroad barons casting their deepening shadows across the land. Writers found other virtues to extoll other than common frailties. The western frontier needed stories of valor and sacrifice […]

OLD LESSON PLAN FOR NEW TIMES

An old lesson plan? From Aristotle? Who needs one with new lessons every day? More like who doesn’t? Sometimes it takes a while for things to sink in.

BOOMER DREAM: I WISH I KNEW WHAT I KNOW NOW WHEN I WAS YOUNGER

A boomer dream sung by Rod? Poor old grand-dadI laughed at all his wordsI thought he was a bitter manHe spoke of women’s waysThey’ll trap you, then they use youAnd before you even knowFor love is blind and you’re far too kindDon’t ever let it show I wish that I knew what I know nowWhen […]

STORY MEDICINE PRESCRIPTION: READ AND WRITE

Story medicine is good for what ails you. Why? Because you deserve a break. Things go bad, and you read a story about something worse? You might feel better. But what about when things are going good, never been better. What story is going to improve that?