My driver’s license said I was 26, but I was a kid myself—completely out of my depth." A late-night hospital encounter with a wise nurse offered a six-word piece of advice that took decades to fully understand.
Buckle Yourself In & Enjoy the Ride
The Weekly Habit that Keeps Me Out of the Doghouse!
(A version of this story appeared on The Heart of The Matter on April 12, 2023.) I wrote the date at the top, folded the paper, and slid it into an envelope. Some weeks I’m good at this; some weeks, not so much. For the past 17 years, I’ve written my wife a short note every Wednesday.... Continue Reading →
Where The Good Comes From
From a late-night work project to a handwritten note, the instincts to anticipate what people need didn't start with me. A birthday tribute to the woman who modeled effort and empathy every day.
If Your Relationship Can Survive a Week at the Beach, It Can Survive Anything
One spouse forges ahead like Meriwether Lewis mapping the frontier; the other trails behind dragging a 50-pound cooler through scorching sand. If your marriage can survive a week at the beach, it can survive anything. Here are four essential rules for surviving the dunes, heat, and potential beach mutiny.
A Shoulder To Cry On – Part Two
I know I'm good, but I didn't realize that I had psychic powers. I wrote in April about how I was inspired by the deep friendship between tennis greats Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova. I didn't know at the time that Netflix was working on a new documentary on the two. The documentary Chris & Martina:... Continue Reading →
Let’s talk — Father’s Day
We celebrate Father's Day this Sunday. When I think about the day, more often than not, I get flooded with a surge of memories. It's not just one memory, but a lifetime of them. Most of them are happy. A few are sad. I think of my life as a father, I think of my... Continue Reading →
My first brush with death
(A version of this story first appeared on January 4, 2023 on The Heart of the Matter.) I learned about death the hard way. One day in the early 1970s, my mom picked me up from the neighbor lady who watched me during the day. When we got home, she told me that Shep, our... Continue Reading →
My mom lied
My mom lied to me. I'm talking a "liar, liar, pants on fire" lie. A big one. Right up there with The Grinch's lie to Cindy Lou Who that he was Santa Claus and he was taking her family's Christmas tree to his workshop to fix a broken light from the 1957 book, How the... Continue Reading →
The reward of stepping back
My natural reaction sets in. I want to jump in and get results. I want to take charge. I want to give a few directions and solve the problem, large or small. If need be, I want to throw good old hard work and some elbow grease at the problem to make it go away.... Continue Reading →
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