My youngest son ran track a couple of seasons during high school. He often ran longer distances, like the mile and half mile. I remember one early mile race when for some reason he decided to sprint to the front of the pac...
I travelled to Lexington, Kentucky, in mid-October to watch one of the best football games I have ever witnessed. No, it was not just good because the Kentucky Wildcats beat the then #1 ranked LSU Tigers (and now national champions). It was t...
I was nineteen and working at a grocery store. I was stocking at the end of an aisle close to the meat counter when I saw him. He was a large man looking at a large package of pork chops. He slid the package into his coat and began walking. I bega...
I was the first on either side of the family to finish college, and the only one to receive a masters (besides my youngest sister a few years later) or a doctorate. Dad valued education even though he only completed his G.E.D. Mom finished high sc...
When I began thinking about my trip to Montana in May, I looked at the schedule for the two meetings I would attend (back to back without a break in the middle). One began Monday at 1:00 and the other ended Friday at Noon. I realized there would b...
There are bits of advice for winning at chess. Some of these bits, though small, can be the difference in winning or losing. Some can help a beginner take the next step toward a more solid game and improved play and rating. Consider some of the fo...
I was the first on either side of the family to finish college, and the only one to receive a masters (besides my youngest sister a few years later) or a doctorate. Dad valued education even though he only completed his G.E.D. Mom finished high sc...
Here is one of those dreaded word (story) math problems: PROBLEM: You and a friend set out walking 100 miles through the snow. You had an hour head start. You walk the same speed for the entire distance. You both had compasses and were told to hea...
When touring Yellowstone back in May, I was on sensory overload. There was so much to see: geysers everywhere; volcanic rock; trees I'd never seen before; eagles; osprey; bison; elk; jagged rocks; snow (yes, on the highest elevations--I even s...
Great chess requires imagination somewhat like that we see in children. Children love to imagine. They see faces and trees and animals in the clouds. They like faces. They see other children. They like movement. They see numbers and letters. ...
Have you ever participated in a team-building activity in which participants were paired off with one member of the pair being blindfolded and told not to speak. The blindfolded group is then brought into a room that has several obstacles in place...
I'll never forget pursuing the 50-mile hike merit badge with my Scout troop. It was a beautiful day. We had packed our backpacks with food and supplies for our day-long hike through a beautiful forest. We hiked to a waterfall. I remember some ...
Before climbers can scale Mt. Everest, many undergo serious discipline, exercise, and preparation. Many spend weeks with sherpas and trainers. On the climb, they must be in excellent shape or risk death and a negative impact on the team. We must a...
I travelled to West Yellowstone for a meeting in May. Because of the cost of flights, I flew into Billings and had a 3.5 hour drive to West Yellowstone. And I enjoyed every minute of it (before and after my meeting)! What a beautiful country we li...
My son was one of the three captains on his school's varsity soccer team. At a game near the end of the season, within five minutes of the start, he went for a ball and was kicked in the ankle in one motion. He crumpled into a ball holding his...
Have you ever been down a river on a raft? I rafted a river in Yellowstone National Park (in the Rocky Mountains) back in May. See the picture; I am in the yellow jacket in the front of the raft getting wet! The river was fast. It was bumpy (defin...
I have been out of my country (United States) on several trips. I have travelled to Canada twice for pleasure. I have been on mission trips to South Korea, Germany, and Italy. On those three trips, I also flew into airports in Japan and the N...
I read a quote yesterday that has continued to ring in my mind: “Artists are simply people who are passionate enough to imagine things that do not yet exist.” Seona Reid, Principal of Glasgow School of Art, graduation address spring 20...
