THE NEW ABNORMAL HAS IT’S PLUSSES“The mind can calculate, but the spirit yearns, and the heart knows what the heart knows” ― Stephen King Clipping the leash to the dog, I check that I have the necessary plastic bag in my pocket. Once verified, I call out to my 10-year old son, “You about ready?” “We going now?”, he responds from the living room, “Coming.” It’s 7:45 and in a normal year, we’d be rushing to get him and his sister
A RACE TO NOWHERE, WITH NO GUARANTEED WINNERS“the city’s ills were supposed to disappear.” ― Douglas Stuart, Shuggie Bain Back when I wore a younger man’s clothes, I drank the elixir of the protestant work ethic by the case. I was sold on the idea that I was on a mythical race to somewhere, I didn’t know where it was or even have a clear vision of how I’d recognize it if I got there, I only knew that if I worked hard and studied my craft to
WHO DO WE WANT THEM TO BE WHEN THEY GROW UP?“The time has arrived when patience becomes a crime and mayhem appears garbed in a manner of virtue” ― Edgar Rice Burroughs, Tarzan of the Apes I’m going to let you in on a little secret this morning. For some, it’ll be deeply disturbing. Others will nod and say, “About time you catch up to reality.” Regardless, here it is, the chasm between what happens in the statehouse and what happens in the
A CORE PROBLEM“Our values are the same. We disagree on policy, but we don’t disagree on humanity , we don’t disagree about love and compassion. I think that’s true for all of us — it’s just that we get lost in our fear of what’s different.” Michelle Obama speaking on her friendship with George Bush It’s 9 AM on Friday morning, the second day of TCAP testing for MNPS students, and my fifth grader and sixth-grad
A QUESTION ON NUANCE“A good intention, with a bad approach, often leads to a poor result.” ― Thomas Edison “When are you getting your vaccination shot?” My wife asked early last week. “I don’t know. Sometime soon.” “Why haven’t you already gotten it? What are you waiting for?”, she testily responded. “I don’t know.
