Journey to the Past
I love it when high-quality people call B.S. on me… …hold me accountable… …get me out of my rut… …share a perspective I hadn’t considered… …inspire me to implement, not dawdle… …encourage me to be my best… …and then guide me to be even better. And I love to offer peers all of the above. …
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In case it slipped your mind, a reminder: Today is National Spaghetti Day Yes, today! You didn’t know? Me neither, until I consulted HolidaysCalendar.com. Because of that site, I never miss a big holiday like this one. More on that in a moment, but first… …in honor of the big day, I’d like to…
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Just before the twister hit, Joyce walked out to her pickup truck to roll up the windows. It was November 15, 1988, and the high temperature in Davisville, MO was 70F that day – 15 degrees above normal. Rain was falling. The wind was beginning to whip. Joyce, her husband Jim, and their daughter Shannon…
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Soon after I began the shelter-from-home thing back in 2020, a friend invited me to join Clubhouse. It was a new app that allowed people to converse in audio chat rooms. He said it was THE NEXT BIG THING. I didn’t sign up right away. But I kept hearing the Clubhouse BUZZ… ….The usual stuff…
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Remember that time you parked in a giant lot, and when it was time to return to your car, you couldn’t remember where it was? You wandered around the parking lot like a lost lamb — your fury rising like lava — until you stumbled upon your vehicle. How’d I know about that?! Come on,…
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My friend Les Landes shared with me a story about stories. I’d like to share it with you. It comes from the author Neil Gaiman who said: “My cousin Helen…was in the Warsaw ghetto during World War II. She and a bunch of the girls in the ghetto had to do sewing each day. And…
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While on vacation in 1986, a future legend bought a coat in Jackson, Wyoming that changed his life. John wasn’t a legend yet. He was a sales consultant, vacationing in cowboy country. The coat was a full-length “duster.” The kind of coat real cowboys wear. John saw the coat, hanging in the back of Schaefer…
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In a recent Monday Mash-Up, I shared Tim Ferriss’ podcast interview with Annie Lamott. Her book Bird by Bird is one of my favorites about writing. In the interview, Annie tells Tim how she came up with the book title. This story alone is a priceless lesson for writers — especially those struggling to get it…
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In 2017, I jumped from an airplane 15,000 feet above New Zealand… …on purpose. Here’s a picture at the moment of truth. Those are MY legs, hanging out of the airplane, 2.84 miles above Lake Wanaka. Here’s another picture… …after I jumped, freefalling at about 200 feet per second. The plan: Freefall for 60 seconds,…
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A few years ago, my friend skipped his high school reunion because he was between jobs. He didn’t want to face his classmates while down on his luck. I get it. He dreaded that “what are you up to?” conversation. He didn’t want to tell his story of dreams deferred. He wanted to be the…
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