Politics, Moderate
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Have You Been Avoiding the Dentist?
Life is returning to normal. But where dental health is concerned, normal may not be good enough.
According to a report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, even BEFORE the pandemic, one-third of American adults under 65 hadn’t had a dental exam or cleaning in more than a year.
That is a disturbing statistic. If ...Read more
Is Your Refrigerator Running?
If some retro prankster had asked me a week ago, “Is your refrigerator running?,” my reply would have been, “It’s complicated.”
(Actually, I would have reported the scamp to the authorities. In these enlightened times, “Is your refrigerator running?” obviously dredges up traumatic memories of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. Or ...Read more
Will These Pet Peeves Define Your Summer?
Prospects of a long, hot summer bring pet peeves to the surface.
Surely someone besides me encounters deceptive packages of frozen microwaveable meat. “Tear here,” they cajole. So, you tear on the dotted line, only to discover that it’s an inch BELOW the grooves required to reseal the package. Are the designers at the meatpacking plant ...Read more
So, Did I Mention My 30th Wedding Anniversary?
“I could search the whole world over/Until my life is through/But I know I’ll never find another you.” - as performed by The Seekers.
Five years ago, in conjunction with my 25th wedding anniversary, I was halfway finished writing a 40,000-word book of hard-won marriage wisdom.
A few months later, my wife Melissa proofread the ...Read more
What Was Your Favorite Summer Job?
With the school year ending and the economy slowly reopening, let’s reminisce about the illustrious history of summer jobs.
I’m sure many of you worked your way through high school and college by flipping burgers, mowing lawns, performing lifeguard duties, working on an assembly line (I worked three summers in a cosmetics factory) or ...Read more
Would the Class of 2021 Like Some Unsolicited Advice?
By the time most of you read this, my son Gideon will have marched across the gymnasium floor and received his high school diploma.
I have brainstormed some sage advice for Gideon’s next phase and hope that his fellow grads nationwide can benefit.
I’ll allow someone else to lecture 2021 graduates about following your dream, keeping a ...Read more
Ever Have A Near-Death Experience?
My late father once confided his belief in “universal knowledge.”
He felt that God gave humans finite, physical brains to prevent them from knowing EVERYTHING.
That theme is echoed in the book I’m currently reading: “Forever,” by Bruce Greyson, M.D.
Psychiatrist Greyson has spent 50 years studying Near-Death Experiences (NDEs)...Read more
Are You Still Procrastinating About Your Tax Return?
Misery loves company, but it’s cold comfort that many of you – like me - still haven’t filed your 2020 income tax returns.
(And I’m aware others of you had already pre-spent your refund SIX MONTHS AGO, but come on, dude. When you announce, “I’m anxious to revisit 2020!,” you probably need to spend part of that refund on an ...Read more
How About Celebrating History’s Unsung Mothers?
Since you asked, my niece Claire is expecting her first baby in August. Her sister Emma is expecting her second child in October.
I have faith that both young ladies will someday earn a spot in a Hall of Fame for Mothers.
Alas, history is littered with mothers who DIDN’T receive proper recognition. Here are some particularly egregious ...Read more
Is There a Future For Wit?
As graduation looms, my son Gideon has been named both salutatorian and Wittiest Boy of the Cornersville (TN) High School Class of 2021.
(I myself did well academically “back in the day” - which even then was about 15 years after the hoary phrase “back in the day” had applied for Medicare. I also absorbed comedy vibes from Steve ...Read more
Can We Possibly Laugh About Seasonal Allergies?
Tree huggers, are you contemplating a Zoom meeting with Mr. Elm instead?
Yes, this is dedicated to the millions of you who share my susceptibility to seasonal allergies.
(Seasonal allergies? Yes, “When is allergy season?” is a popular Google question. I don’t mean to be ungrateful for fleeting symptom interruptions around Christmas; ...Read more
Can We Please Retire the Word Debunked?
Did I ever tell you about my late Uncle Vernon and the time his slanderous lies about a respected business got unceremoniously debunked?
In the mid-70s Uncle Vernon hired a Nashville company to apply vinyl siding to his home. When he was completely disgusted with the finished product, he tried and tried to get satisfaction from the company.
...Read more
May I Sing the Housing Subdivision Blues?
My wife and I would never have met, except that her family fled a densely populated state when she was 11.
Given her satisfaction with the simple life (deer in the yard, the neighbors’ ponds and livestock across the road), I dreaded sharing game-changing news with her the other evening.
“One of the neighbors said a 100-house ...Read more
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