Back Story  How were your teenage years?  Were you the cheerleader or football hero?  Did you hate wearing glasses? Bleach your teeth?  Did you study or glide through classes on pure luck? What things pop up when you place yourself back in your youth?  We explore those times in this story. Click to listen or […]

(Edited 3-24-19) Backstory   Remember the days when “Party” was a call to arms?  All aboard, and the louder the music, the better.  Then we kind of settle down.  Favorite get-togethers involve smaller crowds, family; people whose company we enjoy.  After that comes the time when you may decide not to accept every invitation.  It gets […]

Backstory   It was a meeting of business women in Florida.  They were all vivacious, beautifully dressed entrepreneurs.  Most were over 40 or 50 and they were networking and having fun.  Introductions revealed that many were starting anew; using past experiences or new skills to make their way in the world.  It reminded me of this […]

(Edited 3-10-19) Backstory   Learn something new every day.  It’s advice I try to follow.  Sometimes it leads to unexpected or colorful new knowledge.  That’s what happened here.  A discovery led me to explore something I would normally take for granted.  My curious nature always “wants to know the story.”  This time it led me to […]

(Edited 3-3-19) Backstory   Today’s story could refer to January of this year and the Polar Vortex.  The Northeast became a dangerous frozen tundra. Morbid cold demanded staying indoors, often for days. Particularly challenging if the kids were cooped up too.  Click to listen or follow below to read. Cabin Fever –  #534 Remember back to […]

Back Story – When my grandson was about four years old, he and his mom lived with us for a while. It was a rare and wonderful opportunity to spend time with him alone and find out what was peaking his interest and curiosity. Click to listen or follow below to read. Quiet Time – […]

Backstory   It takes a lot of planning and logistics to leave your primary residence for two or three months and live elsewhere – even if the elsewhere offers warm breezes and sunlit skies.   It was a big decision to make and here’s the dilemma that we faced. Click to listen or follow below to read. […]

(Updated) Back Story – I sat there in the car, outside the hospice. This could have been the last time I would ever see her.  And indeed, it was.  Yet something she told me has stuck with me for lo the many years that have passed, since that visit. Click to listen or follow below […]

(Updated) Backstory  This story was written after lunching with friends where the main topic of discussion seemed to be “the good ole days.”  It’s not unusual to hear such conversations among those of retirement age.  But this was a young group – folks in their 40s and 50s.  Already they were considering previous times an […]

"You make me happy."  It's often said, when you have someone with whom there is mutual love and respect.  When you find yourself smiling as you think of someone, you can't help but assign happiness to them.  Yet the true source of happiness comes from inside.  We make the decision every day whether to be happy or not; whether we realize it or not.  This story is about the happiness that comes from within.