I knew at an early age that I didn't want to work in the local steel mill, become a farm worker, or enlist in the military — the careers that many of my classmates in my small rural high school chose. They were all fine pursuits, but I figured out that my interests lie elsewhere.... Continue Reading →
Parents: It will all work out!
I couldn't help but look past my wife to next table in the restaurant and the couple sitting with their two young kids. The couple barely said anything to each other. You could tell they were running on too many cups of coffee and fumes. And this was before one of the kids reached across... Continue Reading →
Going to the mattresses
My wife and I are looking for a new mattress. Ours has seen better days. The mattress slumps in the middle and squishes on the sides. You can forget about getting a good night’s sleep. We wake up feeling worse than when we went to bed. The only one who actually enjoys sleeping on our... Continue Reading →
Finding my rhythm
The social media commenter started off with an aggressive, hot take: "If you’re not first, you're last." I read the post and read it again and then read it a third time. I thought it might be the poster's way of inspiring readers to push to be number one. Instead, the poster explained how she... Continue Reading →
Grace to fail
I gave a presentation at work recently. It did not go as well as I would have liked. I can tell you everything that I did wrong in the presentation. I talked too fast; I rambled in spots; and I spoke without a lot of emotion or enthusiasm. I’ve made a ton of presentations over... Continue Reading →
First day jitters!
My mom kissed me on my forehead and tucked me into my bed for the fourth time that night. She had to be losing her patience. I had been up and down all night. She’d put me down one minute and a few minutes later I would be up-and-out of bed again. I was getting... Continue Reading →
All peopled out!
A few months ago, my wife looked at me like I had three heads. It was the middle of the afternoon, and we hadn’t been out long, just an hour so with a few close friends, but I was done. I was fried. I was tired from a busy week and had reached my limit.... Continue Reading →
Life is about perspective
Twenty-one months ago, I used to worry about what I wore to work. Before I packed up my bag and went out the door, I would ask my wife if my tie matched my shirt and if my shoes went with my pants. I would pay close attention to how I looked in the mirror... Continue Reading →
Taking work lessons from a baby robin
I listened to the baby robin chirp for its momma. I wasn't sure if it was one or two babies, but I could hear at least one baby cry out from the nest underneath my deck. In the first few days of a nestling’s life, the parent bird regurgitates partly digested food into each baby’s... Continue Reading →

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