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THE KINDNESS OF STRANGERS AND FRIENDS

September 23, 2025 by David Gillaspie

The kindness of strangers came in when I took the wrong turn on an LA sidewalk. It was a turn right or turn left choice and I turned the wrong way. Another couple came out of the same door and turned the opposite way. It was during a car return ordeal, which isn’t usually an […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: baby boomer, driving, friends, GPS, husband, improvements, joy, kindness, kindness of strangers, LA doorstep, listening skills, Los Angeles, nightlife, rental car, ride share, strangers, vocabulary, wife, wives, wrong neighborhood

YOUNG OLD VS OLD OLD, THE JOY OF AGING

September 11, 2025 by David Gillaspie

Young Old: Spry, active, ready to show how young. My Grandpa showed off his new knee by doing one legged step ups on a low rock wall, his knee at a right angle, then up. He invited me to give it a try. I was in my forties. It was harder for me than him. […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: aging, alcohol, blacking out, blessings, cognitive test, confused, crazy people, disoriented, dropping weight, due process, failure, fairness, fitness, golden rule, good advice, haunting losses, healing sleep, joy, joy of aging, loved ones, millennials, old granddad, old-old, overcome, seek counseling, slowing down, wins, young-old

THE RIGHT SHIRT PULLS EVERYTHING TOGETHER

June 15, 2025 by David Gillaspie

What is the right shirt for the occasion? As all fashionistas know, it depends on the occasion. You don’t want to go too over the top as much as you don’t want to look like you could care less. Try not to channel your inner-Lady Gaga. This was the right shirt for the No Kings […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: army birthday, beer, dropout, education, enthusiasm, family, father's day, fathers day, GPA, history, joy, Love, low GPA, married, Michael Jordan, millennials, no kings, Oregon History, pater familias, philadelphia, public service, real world, retired teachers, right shirt, seventies guy, sixties guy, story, student loans, teachers, Tigard, US Army, us history, wife, young people

CHANGING TIMES, LIKE LAST TIME

April 29, 2025 by David Gillaspie

Changing times can break you. “You can only pull out of the times what the times will give you. “You create out of your experience. “If your experiences are the same as the guys’ next door and he ain’t doin’ nothin’, then you aren’t going to be doing much either.” Bob Dylan

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: 1974, blog, blogger, Bob Dylan, celebrity, celebrity watcher, change, changing times, codes, drink, experience, experiences, family, friends, haircut, joy, last time, learning, modern world, nature, nurture, passwords, Patty Hearst, research, smoke, time, trying times, writer, writing

COMMUNICATION FACE, HOW TO READ IT

December 14, 2024 by David Gillaspie

A communication face is the non-verbal part of communicating with someone. We all have one. Not all are a resting bitch face, but sometimes they look that way. Accidentally. How can you appear attentive and interested when all you really want to do is take a nap? How long can you sustain your bright-eyed and […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: active listener, attentive, common sense, communicate, Communication, communication face, conversation, counseling, fascinating, interested, joy, learn, listen, listener, magic, money, nonverbal, purpose, self control, therapy, understand, unfortunate experience, welcoming face, wr121

BIG CROWDS OF A LIFETIME

August 11, 2024 by David Gillaspie

Big crowds signal over population? Not when it’s an Olympic crowd in Paris. Did I feel like part of the crowd watching on TV? Yes, I did, and it felt close enough.

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: agony of defeat, big crowd, big crowds, champion, crowd, crowds, defeat, deploy, deployment, football teams, good crowd, great run, happiness, joy, lives together, North Bend Bulldogs, Olympic moment, Paris olympics, purposeful life, sports, sports crowd, sports fan, sports travelers, team sports, thrill of victory, too much, USA USA USA, victory, warm up, wrestling teams

REAL THINGS THAT GET MORE REAL, LIKE FEELINGS

March 6, 2024 by David Gillaspie

Real things are not a mystery. Maybe mysterious, but not a mystery. For that we can thank science. And thank some blogger for posting images too small to read. More mystery? Not with the right solution.

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: Baby Boomer blogger, blog, blogger, boomerpdx, brain scan, Communication, communication tools, counselor, feelings, happy, joy, light up, lit up, Love, love light, MARRIAGE, marriage counseling, move, pride, progress, real things, scan, therapist, toward the light, wife, writer, writers, writing

TRUE JOY, A COMPENDIUM

December 20, 2023 by David Gillaspie

Who thinks of true joy as the day your parents permitted you to ride your bike to your pals house a couple of streets over? They trusted you because you demonstrated proficiency on your street. Now you were one of the big guys. When you got that first bike you wanted to ride it everywhere. […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: 1973, approval, blog, blogger, boomerpdx, cheerleaders, compendium, David Gillaspie, education, family, football star, high school, hugging, joy, marshfield, North Bend, podium, pretty boy, sports, sports fan, state champion, state championships, true joy, wrestlers, wrestling, wrestling match, writer, writers, writing

SUNNY DAY FOR CELEBRATIONS EVERYDAY

June 21, 2023 by David Gillaspie

A sunny day is the best sort of day for cheering. You can go outside and walk around with the joy of the day, no matter what is celebrated. And you don’t have to dress like you’re going on an undersea adventure. Just open the door and step out. But what is there to celebrate? […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: blogger, boomerpdx, celebrate, gun control, joy, MARRIAGE, married, northwest portland, Portland, Portland Oregon, portland women, sunny day, twitter, wife day, writer

HOW TO BE A SELF-GATEKEEPER

December 18, 2022 by David Gillaspie

A self-gatekeeper is the same as a regular gatekeeper. They restrict who can and who can’t pass through a gate. Except as your own gatekeeper, the gate is you. Who gets to experience the joy of you, and who doesn’t? Start with joy. Why joy? Even if you’re not a joy boy, or girl, figure […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: blogger, boomerpdx, caution, Christmas party, confessional blogger, gatekeeper, joy, night caution, over-share, R. Buckminster Fuller, self-gatekeeper, Social media, story, story boundaries, TMI, writing habit