Category Archives: Life

July 11, 2023 · 6:49 pm

Horses

My youngest daughter said I should write about horses.

So, this post will be about horses.

I’m scared of horses.

For decades, the family would meet in South Dakota for Thanksgiving. My aunt and uncle had horses. The tradition didn’t change when I had my own family, but we did have to get hotel rooms as my family grew.  We have so many pictures of my children riding the horses. Sometimes bundled up in coats with the sun shining. But not a single picture of me on a horse.

When I was a senior in high school I tried riding one of the horses. My uncle guided the horse around the front fence line, which had recently been repaired. The horse spotted some rope left on the ground, wrapped up and looking like a snake. The horse reacted by rearing up. I was spooked, too, and fell off.

I know, not the coolest story, not even that big of a serious reaction. But for someone who spent much of his life in big cities; I was shook. And I have never been on a horse since.

Their presence is strong. I don’t have the confidence to match their energy. My kids just laugh and wave as they enjoy riding horses when they can. I just smile and wave back.

And now some words from my guest blogger, my youngest daughter (9 years old):

One time we went to Wisconsin and this one place you could ride horses in a carriage when my dad said that we were gonna go one day I was blasted with energy and joy so we went I ran to the line and when they were getting ready we pet the horses I ran to every horse petting them over and over again I also got to flick a switch on the ride, we rode in between the canyons and when we got back we went into the shop and that’s when I met my best friend canyon, shes a horse stuffed animal, horses are truly beautiful and kind.

Hope you enjoyed our post about horses.

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July 10, 2023 · 4:20 pm

Favorite Series: Life

This will be the last post in the Favorite Series. I will get back to sharing just three things, and get back to connecting ideas on a deeper level because in this post I am going to share three favorite things about life… 

Blue Sky with clouds and purple flowers in the forefront.

I am going to share the deep abstract element first. One of my favorite things about life is a blue sky with clouds. Let me explain. A blue sky with clouds gives me a sense of living. Whether I am walking, playing outside with kids, or driving to get a coffee, when the sky is that dark edged blue and peppered with clouds, especially big puffy ones that almost seem 3D, I feel a sense of being here. The starkness of the sky reminds me that I am on this Earth and have this moment to be me. To live this life the best I can because, like the clouds, life is in constant motion. A day may be filled with joy or heartbreak, but it is my day to live. 

Other skies, like a starry night, have different vibes for me and I enjoy being under their charm. But give me a blue sky with clouds because it fills my soul.

Learning is my favorite aspect of life. I know, this shouldn’t surprise anyone who has read a few of my blog posts. Life is always providing opportunities to learn, to connect ideas, or to give us a chance to become better than we were. We can learn from books (a definite favorite of mine), from people (maybe the most powerful) and from what happens in our daily life (if we pay attention).

But learning is a choice. Even though I find it hard to believe, not everyone cares to learn. Many people are happy with where they are and don’t seek out ways to learn… I can’t do that, because I believe that who we are as a person is the direct effect of what we learn. And who we are is how we live.

Connected to learning is creativity (which is also who we are). My third favorite aspect of life is creativity. I like to draw. I like to make videos. I like to dance. I like to come up with games to play with my children (we have a pool game called Shark. It’s kind of an underwater tag game). And if you follow my blog, even though I don’t have a regular schedule, you know I love to write. 

During a deep discussion a few years ago with my seniors I said that life is simply who you are and what you do with your time. 

I still believe this. I am a writer, who loves to learn, and get lost gazing at a blue sky with puffy clouds. What a life!

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July 9, 2023 · 11:02 am

Favorite Series: Food

I am going to break my rule of sharing three favorite things for this post because it’s food. And I won’t expand on the favorites like I have in the other posts. So, here are some of my favorite foods.

Favorite cereal: Boo Berry. It is only available in this area around Halloween. 

Favorite type of chips: Kettle cooked jalapeno. I’m not loyal to any brand, I enjoy them all.

Favorite candy: Albanese Gummies. I like the bears, the worms, the sour ones. 

Favorite pizza: Sausage and mushrooms. Again, not loyal to any brand or restaurant.

Favorite ice cream: Ben and Jerry’s Phish Food.

Favorite homemade meal I cook: Chicken and rice (cooked together with cream of mushroom soup).

Favorite snack: Blueberry almonds. Hard to find in my area, but they do show up on the shelves in the store every once in a while.

Favorite movie snack: Popcorn, lots of butter.

Favorite drink: Coffee with milk. Love trying new flavors and company blends.

A few of my favorite foods. I am chuckling because of all these favorites, I only have popcorn and coffee in the house at the moment… time to go grocery shopping!

Tomorrow will be the last post for this series…

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July 8, 2023 · 5:31 pm

Favorite Series: Albums

Because of last month’s challenge, I decided to share with you three favorite albums. So, this ended up being a challenge because I have rediscovered the beauty of listening to a full album. Add the factor of soundtracks and compilations. Add that I have hundreds of CDs, yes I still buy them… and I have some that are not on Spotify or other streaming services. By no means is this a top 10 kind of list. These are just three of my favorite albums.

Blind to Reason by Grayson Hugh, is an album I listen to a lot, even after 35 years. The album was released in 1988. I might have been one of the few teenagers to have bought the CD back in 1988, but I loved the song “Talk It Over” when I first heard it. Even now the album leaves me feeling good about life.

She by Harry Connick Jr. is a musical trip. There are songs that make you smile while you bob your head, while others challenge your mind and spirit. “Honestly Now (Safety is Just Danger … Out of Place)” is one of my favorite songs from the album.

Fear of a Black Planet by Public Enemy is a masterpiece of an album. I know fans will argue with me about this, but the themes of the songs and the musical production of this album hits on every song. I have a hard time just listening to the album straight through because I will hit repeat on songs like “Brothers Gonna Work It Out” and “Welcome to the Terrordome”. 

This post was so hard to write. There are so many great albums. I shared 3 from my physical collection that numbers close to 700 CDs (I won’t talk about the cassettes). Let me know if you own or listen to these albums in the comment section.

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July 7, 2023 · 9:07 am

Favorite Series: Movies

Funny how life connects. For a Twitter challenge today, it asked what is your favorite movie. I used one of my favorite songs in another challenge based on music. So this must be the perfect time for this series. Today is movies, so here are three of my favorite movies (4 if you see the tweet I mentioned before).

One of my favorite horror movies is Oculus. Mirrors have a long history as a literary element. Mirrors are passageways. Used as a metaphor for truth. This move is centered on a mirror, and it is scary!

A documentary that always hits me is Louder Than a Bomb. I know, for those readers who know me this doesn’t surprise you. But if you have to see this movie to understand. This movie reveals how poetry helps people, teens in this case, make sense of the world. 

A cult classic of mine is The Warriors. Yes, the 1979 gang movie. It is such a great film. I won’t go into my teacher mode and break down the idea of community, identity, and friendship this movie reveals. We can chat about that after you’ve watched it.

Leave a comment if you enjoy these movies.

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July 6, 2023 · 7:59 pm

Favorite Series: Books

This is the first post in my Favorite Series, where I will share a few of my favorite things in different areas. Today I will share a few of my favorite books. 

The Night Watch Series by Sergei Lukyanenko is an amazing story of what it means to be good or evil. There are “Others” among us, The Light Others and the Dark Others, who both have ‘Watches’ that keep a balance between the sides. Sounds simple, but the depth of philosophy around what makes an Other light or dark is challenging. Also, Lukyanenko’s writing style keeps you turning the page because each book has a twist to it, a mystery to solve. I cried at the end of the last book the first time I read it.

One of my favorite graphic novels is Tetris: The Games People Play. If you spent hours playing Tetris on your Game Boy the history of the game will fascinate you. 

When I can, I get books from library book sales or giveaways. I found a gem of poetry a few years ago, De Mayor of Harlem: The Poetry of David Henderson. Now, David Henderson didn’t take the place of Langston Hughes as my favorite poet, but David’s poetry reads like jazz, too. Filled with poems that shine like a city at night. I know the book may be hard to find but it is worth it.

I’ll keep this post to three of my favorite books (actually 8 books). If you have read any of these, or do read them, let me know what you thought about them.

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July 5, 2023 · 8:17 pm

The Challenge of a Challenge

July challenge, write a blog post each day. 

Day 5… what to write about?

Writing a poem every day in April was somewhat easy because there was a prompt each day. I checked the prompt in the morning, then spent the day thinking about ideas, and investigating poetic forms I thought would work.

This blogging challenge isn’t as easy. WordPress does have a few prompts, but they haven’t changed in a few days. And I don’t really feel inspired by them. Add that today was one of those days that had me running around. So, I haven’t had time to just sit and write. It is almost 8 o’clock and I am finally sitting down to blog.

So, why do this? It would be easy to just let a day slide.

It is always easier to just let something slide for a day, then two, maybe a week. Much of what brings us real joy in life can be put off for some other time. Another time when we feel more energized, not drained from work, or the desire to just scroll on our phones keeps our attention.

We can take a walk tomorrow with our kids. 

We can get back to the book later.

We can go fishing when it is not so hot.

We can always call / text someone later.

We all let moments go, thinking that we will get to them later. Too many of those moments would bring us joy, happiness, or a sense of accomplishment if we completed them. That’s why they cross our minds, something is telling us we are missing this from our life. But we will let go… for another time.

One of the toughest hurdles is that nothing bad happens if we let the moment go. No one really cares if I write this post or not. Nothing will happen to me. Well, kind of…

First, I will let myself down. I promised myself to do this challenge, as I have done for each month. It is important to hold up your promises to yourself. That is the basis of confidence and sense of living a life you are proud of.

Second, this challenge, as have been the others, are activities I think are important to my life. I love writing. I love this moment, headphones on, notebook or computer open, and the rush of articulating the ideas in my head and heart onto paper. Add the rush of hope that someone will read it… that my words might make a difference for someone, and I am happy. 

This is a year of challenges. Some from the chaotic power of life, the twist and turns we all go through. The choices we make with what to do with our time, who we spend it with, and just the simple act of living. But also of challenges I have given myself. Challenges that tap into what brings me joy, allows me to spend my time doing more fulfilling things and feel like I have lived. 

But isn’t that the challenge we all have? To live life to the fullest measure of who we are…

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July 4, 2023 · 6:19 pm

Home

We had s’mores last night. Set off a few fireworks. Tried to catch lighting bugs. Watched our neighborhood firework show. Then went to bed. This morning we had cinnamon rolls. While we were eating, my youngest daughter said that last night was fun. Everyone agreed.

One of the things I am proud of is the sense of home we have. My wife and I work hard at creating a home that is warm and safe for our children. When I became a dad, I wanted my children to know that they had a loving place in this world. I wanted a home filled with laughter. Filled with love. A place that my children could find reprieve from this world. 

I grew up in houses that I felt alone in. Scared in. There were houses where I found ways not to spend time in… luckily the library was across the street from that house. 

Our home is part of the fabric of our family. We have movie nights, dance parties, blueberry muffins and simply some good days.

Of course we have had our troubles, rough times. But the heart of our home is love. And I have to give credit to Oprah Winfrey for some advice early in my days of being a dad. 

Does your face light up when your children enter the room?

As Oprah says, it was a light bulb moment for me. I remind myself of this everyday.

Now, I might have taken the idea to the extreme. Especially in the mornings. My kids hate my energy in the morning, but part of the reason for that is that I want them to know I am excited to start the day with them. To let them know they are loved. The teen years are the toughest in the mornings… they do not want to talk when they first get up. But it is all good! It is funny to listen to my sons, who are both out of the house, about how I used to wake them up. But they remember it!

I do my best to let my children know I love them each time they enter the room. I am not perfect. No one is, but I am proud of how I’ve created a home I never had. I look forward to all the good days ahead.

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July 3, 2023 · 5:07 pm

More Time For

Do you get frustrated when you have to wait for a train? What happens when a second train comes across on the other set of tracks?

We have a double set of tracks we have to deal with on our most convenient route from our neighborhood. And yep, have had the situation where a second train comes speeding the other way as the first train passes by the crossbars.

I’ve had to take a deep breath to keep the frustration from spilling into the air of the car. 

But I haven’t gone through that routine in a while, my third daughter changed my perspective on the moment. And now, I enjoy being stopped by a train because it means more time…for music!

About two years ago we were headed home from school. As we approached the railroad crossing the red lights started blinking and the crossbars slowly came down. By chance a song my girls liked (I don’t remember what it was) was playing on the radio. They were singing as they still do, and my third daughter noticed the crossbars coming down. In flow with the song she said,”Yes! More time to listen to music!”

I had just taken that first frustrated breath, but held it for a second, then just let it go and sang with my daughters. When we are stopped by a train now, I sometimes say, “Oh, more time to listen to music!” If there is a good song on, I turn it up and we sing.

This morning I saw five, five cars run red lights. Three of them at our major intersections. (Where, yes, most of the accidents happen in our town.)

I wonder where people are going in such a hurry. On the street with the railroad tracks, you see people turn around and find a different route when a train comes. Honestly, most trains are through the intersection before you can get to the overpass route.

My daughter reminded me that we are in control of our response to time. How we decided to respond to small moments. How we spend, even a few minutes, watching a train go by. We will be singing to the radio.

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July 2, 2023 · 11:40 am

Blueberry Muffins and Twitter Spaces

For my regular readers, you know the importance of the tradition of making blueberry muffins this morning. We had bacon and scrambled eggs, as is the norm now. We had left over tortillas so I made a breakfast burrito. So, good!

I had to miss a Twitter Space started by one of the members of the writing group I am a part of on Twitter because of breakfast.

Why did I mention that? Because this post is about the power of traditions or routines, both in the real world and the digital world.

Again, if you read my blog on even a semi-regular basis, you know about our family tradition on Sunday morning. How important it is for us to spend time together. My second son who lives in town usually still makes it to Sunday breakfast. It keeps our family bond strong.

The writing group I belong to has a routine of starting spaces, especially in the mornings. In fact many times they are in a space before I have even had a cup of coffee. During the school year, I find time to stop in to listen or chat before the school day starts but not on a consistent basis. 

Honestly, their morning routine is no different than my father-in-law meeting with his buddies to drink coffee at the local McDs. It’s just in digital form.

Recently, a handful of the group has been able to meet in real life. They have traveled to see each other, went to open mics, or had ice cream together. I am a little jealous and feel a little bit like an outsider in the group. Not because of anything the group has done, but I share my feelings to reinforce the power of routines or traditions.

Almost every morning the group starts a space. In fact, if a member needs to talk they will start a space at any time and people will join to talk with that person. They have a routine in the morning that connects them. That has built such strong friendships that they are connecting in real life. Relationships are strengthened by shared experiences, shared routines, shared traditions.

It doesn’t matter if it is in real life or in a digital space. It doesn’t have to be every day. My best friend and I have a tradition of making CDs or playlists of our top 20 songs… that year, the last decade, or even of all time. Just depends on when we decide to make the list. (Yes, we will make CD mixes and mail them to each other.)

Traditions or routines are one of the elements to the quality of our lives. Whether it is a personal routine, for me taking a walk each day (lots of writing ideas come to me), or a Twitter Space every morning that allows the members to build friendships by sharing successes or hardships. These purposeful moments bring us joy, help us through tough days, and create meaning to our everyday life.

If life seems shallow or lacking in connections, I challenge you to evaluate your routines. What traditions do you wish you had? What connections do you want to make? There just might be a Twitter Space dedicated to that…

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