Thinking Independently and Colorful Liquids

It occurs to me on  occasion that most of the obstacles, judgments, frustrations, disappointments, and embarrassments in my life could have been avoided if I had only drunk the kool-aid of the moment. However, then I realize that everything meaningful I have ever done was a result of not drinking the kool-aid. This thought is,

Ray Bradbury, Bullying in Politics, and the Potential Kindness of Kids

I read today that Ray Bradbury died. He was 91, so I suppose it wasn’t a surprise, but it is always sad when a light of insight is extinguished.   I remember the story “All Summer in a Day” that we read in junior high school. I have probably mentioned it before, but only because

Quotes about the Road Less Travelled

I’m encountering some mental exhaustion, and since I rarely say anything that hasn’t been said before, I thought today I’d just skip the middle man. It’s kind of fun to do the impossible. Walt Disney Even if you are on the right track, you will get run over if you just sit there. Will Rogers

The Wisdom of Children and the Circus

I was in the process of writing a post about escalating frustration when I received a call from my 4-year-old niece, Keara, who invited me and Grammy and Grampy to the circus. As usual, she put a new spin on my thoughts.    Here is a bit of Keara wisdom: (1) It’s okay to pet elephants,

A Stimulus Rhyme

There once were five hundred on Capitol Hill Who tried to agree on a stimulus bill; From No Child Left Behind to the army to WIC, Everyone had a bone to pick.     Making decisions with no outcome model, And the President saying they’d better not dawdle, Each stuck to his theories and crystal

Allowed to Fail

My personal history in school sports is varied and riddled with embarassing moments, from Farm League baseball to high school tennis and everything in between (including ballet, which I have mostly blocked from memory.) So, for a different perspective on the last couple of days’ posts, I thought I’d share examples of the kindness of

You Don’t Have to Finish It

My 9th grade English teacher, Mr. Reed, once told us as he handed out the year’s suggested reading list that we shouldn’t feel we had to a finish a book just because we started it. There are too many books in the world to waste your time. Now, that’s a paraphrase; I’m sure he was