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ELDERLY TRUTHS FROM OLD MAN

I watched a video clip of an old man speaking elderly truths. He looked good in his v-neck sweater and button down collared shirt. He said he was ninety-one in the most sincere way. His talk was aimed at the younger crowd, you know, around seventy. Made me feel like a teenager.

AGING FEAR FOR THE FIRST TIME

Aging fear kicks in when you start wondering about tomorrow. Will you be there for it? Why wouldn’t you? Oh, that’s why.

CHILDHOOD ENDING LEADS TO BLURRED LINES

A childhood ending comes in several varieties. The people you meet in early childhood often signal the end later. It might be a parent, a teacher, or the latest bully on the block. All of them are the problem, beginning with parents.

BAD PERSONALITY, OR JUST A BAD DAY

The last time you had an exchange with someone that didn’t go well and left you wondering, ‘do they have a bad personality, or was it a bad moment in a bad day?’ It’s a fair question, but only if you never see them again. If you see them regularly, you know. So do they. […]

UNCHECKED SPEECH, GUARDED WORDS

If you’ve heard unchecked speech, then you know guarded words when someone says them. One might be a raving crack-head angling for another piece of the rock. The other might be a priest in a confessional. Each has their place, sometimes more than one place. There’s only one problem: If they switch back and forth […]

OLD MAN ADVICE FOR YOUTHS

I saw an old man on a video giving advice, old man advice. How old? Too old to climb a redwood. He was giving advice to those younger than him, which is about everyone. He wasn’t a baby boomer, and if he was he had lots of wear and tear. The advice?

WILDFIRE SEASON TO STORM SEASON?

Wildfire season? Storm season? Someone has an itchy panic button finger. There’s nothing wrong with summer, fall, winter, and spring, but those names don’t carry the same impact anymore. When asphalt gets tacky? Summer. Leaves drop off trees? Fall. Chilly? Winter. Warming up? Spring. Follow me for more weather updates and observations on today’s tricky […]

LONELY PEOPLE: FROM HEMINGWAY TO AMERICA

The answer: lonely people. The question: What does the band America have in common with Ernest Hemingway? Their bond comes from both ends of male adulthood, young man to old man. One sang about them, the other wrote about them. By now baby boomers are both.

ELDER RESPECT AND WHY IT MATTERS

Elder respect matters because not everyone gets there, and if they do, for however long or short a time, give them their flowers while they’re still alive. In one respect, being an elder is a privilege, especially if you’ve got any semblance of normalcy. By that I mean still functioning in the activities of daily […]

CROWDED ROOM WITH A LONG LINE OUTSIDE

The crowded room came into shocking focus yesterday. It was a view from the road of new construction in the early phase: The flat land skinned bare, concrete curbs poured for street layout, and one showcase house framed and sided. With room for so many more planned. The view came from Roy Rogers Road driving […]