Smoothing Regret’s Rough Edges

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Only rarely do we hear anyone say they have no regrets. That’s because it’s unthinkable that anyone could be so perfect as to never make a regrettable mistake.

Then again, it’s possible that such a person has some regrets but somehow has been so successful in making amends with themselves and others affected that the incidents have simply been forgotten.

Although it’s later in life when regrets plague us most, they can occur much earlier, right after we begin having to decide such issues as where we live, with whom, by what means, and to what end. Some decisions are … Read the rest “Smoothing Regret’s Rough Edges”

From Out Of The Shadows

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Here’s the story that unfolded.

During summer school at a distant college, the guy met a girl and they continued to date until the school session ended. 

It was, however, more than simply a summer romance. After they had each returned home, they were attracted to each other enough that three times over the next several months he drove the more than 200 miles to see her. The potential for something more serious was alive and well.

It all came to an end, however, when he had to leave to fulfill a two-year military commitment. Even before he had returned … Read the rest “From Out Of The Shadows”

This Ain’t No Dress Rehearsal!

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From somebody came a sperm and from another somebody came an egg. They got together and from that speck there soon began to sprout a head, arms, and legs. Soon it all got big enough, and out you plopped — wet, hungry, and squalling.

Some wildly anticipated your arrival, everybody else ho-hummed it. Whatever the welcome, there you were. Ready to live. Ready for a life. You could hardly wait.

If that happened back in the olden days, you were allowed to be a kid — get dirty and sunburned, jump off diving boards, climb trees, learn to ride a … Read the rest “This Ain’t No Dress Rehearsal!”

In A World Of Silence And Wonder

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In the middle of the night a wide band of snow began to whiten a broad swath of Dixieland’s northern parts.

As per no wind and the law of gravity, the flakes slowly eased straight down — wet flakes landing on almost every exposed surface, creating a myriad of miniature castles and cavities to muffle sounds coming from anything anywhere.

Sometime around daylight, the snowfall paused. About two inches had fallen. Then it resumed with even larger flakes.  Another inch fell, then another, and another, finally ending around noon.

By then, everyone had witnessed a rarity — enough snow to … Read the rest “In A World Of Silence And Wonder”

Repairing The Battered Realm Of Relating

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Just a few weeks ago a friend became teary eyed as he remembered the COVID pandemic and described how hopelessly frustrated he had been when not allowed to visit his dying uncle or even attend his funeral. 

It wasn’t just about him either. Millions of people have similar and often vivid stories about how they fared during those dark days.

Whether accidental, intentional, or by default, facts, common sense, and logic were shoved into the backseat while assumption, accusation, and ignorance drove the bus. Everyone in the work places, schools, churches, businesses and homes was frozen in place and deeply … Read the rest “Repairing The Battered Realm Of Relating”

Then There Is January

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It’s ten minutes after midnight. You decided to stay up long enough to see the ball drop in Times Square. Now, it feels good to turn out the light and slide under the covers. You feel relaxed even if some fireworks are still being set off by some of your neighbors. 

Then comes a lull followed a few seconds later by a dazzling flash of light and a really BIG BANG, then nothing but quiet. 

You smile as you realize the folks had purposely saved the loudest for the last. In dramatic fashion, it signaled that the old year was … Read the rest “Then There Is January”

Looking Ahead To A New Year

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It has likely happened to you as it has to millions of others after Christmas. 

As you begin catching up on everything that was put on hold before the holidays you can’t help looking ahead to a New Year — a good time to end some bad habits and begin doing whatever needs to be done to make your life better. So you confidently make a list of New Year’s resolutions and sincerely promise yourself that come New Year’s Day, you are going to begin making more of a difference.

That day soon arrives, but because it falls on a … Read the rest “Looking Ahead To A New Year”

Christmas: Past, Present, And Always

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Ask anyone, particularly if they are much older, and they will tell you how special Christmas is and has always been to them.

Through listening to their stories plus those you could add, it’s easy to think of Christmas as a wondrous mix of such ingredients as music, decorating a Christmas tree, giving and receiving gifts, having good food and drink, taking the kids to see Santa Claus, and sharing stories and good times against the large and forever relevant backdrop of celebrating the birth of Jesus.

Put it all together and we begin to more fully understand and more … Read the rest “Christmas: Past, Present, And Always”

The One Day For Truly Being Thankful

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Until not too long ago, Thanksgiving was a relaxing yet reverent holiday that at the same time pleasantly ushered in the usual Christmas shopping season. 

Now, however, the first commercial mentions of Christmas are being heard as early as October 1 which tends to not only eclipse Thanksgiving, but even some of the loud and gaudy aspects of Halloween.

Lamentable? Yes, but only a little bit, particularly if we consider that it’s not so much intentional as it is a simple matter of circumstance. That’s because Thanksgiving has its own unique traditions (the turkey dinner and all the associated stories), … Read the rest “The One Day For Truly Being Thankful”

The Casual-Serious State Of The Nation

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We just had a national election and depending upon one’s political leanings, the feelings of everyone out there from big cities to wide open spaces range from glad to mad and maybe even sad. 

As for me and right now, I’ve taken refuge in an easy chair from which I can look through a window and see a sky filled with both sun and dark clouds, trees sporting dashes of fall color, and two squirrels busily looking for still more food to stash away for winter meals. 

All of it seems to come together to ease my brain into neutral, … Read the rest “The Casual-Serious State Of The Nation”