When someone nears a precipice, help
When his wife was alive, he was a rock. Government executive. Nonprofit board member. Husband/father/grandfather. Always willing to donate an hour or a dollar to someone in need. But then cancer took her. They had been married for more than 40 years. For a few weeks, he remained a rock: No, thanks, don’t need anything. Yes, going to stay right here in the house. No, won’t change a ... READ MORE
Seeing the shades of gray in politics
For better or worse, we will be dissecting the 2020 election results for many months. So, I’d like to dust off my scalpel and dissect a group of voters. For better or worse, I am very familiar with them. Older Americans. We vote more often than any other age group. We give more money to candidates than any other age group. We do phone banking and door-knocking as much as,... READ MORE
Reminiscing about desserts of childhood
At 3 a.m. — sleepless yet again — odd memories can flit through what’s left of one’s brain. The other night, for no particular reason, I conjured a vision of a dessert I haven’t eaten in more than 65 years. It was called Apple Brown Betty. Perhaps it was a mainstay of elementary school lunch for you. It certainly was for me. There it sat, in a little circular dish, sliced ... READ MORE
Poor guy can’t help answering the phone
The phone rings. The digital screen says UNKNOWN CALLER. My wife and I exchange glances. Thus, the ballet begins — again. “I’m going to answer it,” I say. “Don’t answer it,” she says. “You’ll just encourage them to call again.” “Might be Hollywood,” I say. “You know it isn’t Hollywood,” she says. “One way to find out,” I say. And I lift... READ MORE
Finding comfort in a sentimental journey
Comfort food — bad for our bodies but good for our souls — seems to be all the rage during this pandemic. We are reverting to macaroni and cheese, chocolate chip cookies, gloppy pizza. Yes, even to the granddaddy of horrible, those peerless artery cloggers — French fries. But in my cocoon, I’ve been reverting to another kind of comfort. Comfort music. Once upon a time, I ... READ MORE
When your best doctor friends retire
In the wider world, it has been a month of protests, disease and turmoil. In my world, it has been a month of retirements. In the space of one week, for a variety of reasons, three men born in the 1940s, who have been taking care of me and my family in one way or another for ages, announced that they no longer would. First, one of my (too many) doctors folded his practice, so he... READ MORE
A dash of Bobby Bright Side positivity
Before COVID, I would place a phone call and silently think about ending it after a couple of minutes. Let’s get on with it. Too much else to do. Before COVID, I would take on a household chore and do only the bare minimum (sorry, dear). Deep cleaning would have taken far too long. Before COVID, reading a book was a sometime thing. Re-reading an old favorite was a never thing. Press ... READ MORE
Laughing at old age on the golf course
Roto-Rooter has a great business model. Systems do need to be cleaned out now and then. Writers do, too (including the guy typing this). After long hours poring over a keyboard, they need a break, a re-set, a Roto-Rootering. Which is how I found myself in Arizona for two days, watching older guys play professional golf. No deadlines. No editors. No worrying over narrative arc and ... READ MORE
No memories are better than HS football
Open a can of memories and old guys will rush in to say they were there. Business. War. Politics. Travel. But perhaps more poignantly than most, football. As the calendar flips to the fall months, a young man’s fancy often turns to his gridiron glories of yesteryear. As the saying goes, they get more glorious with each passing decade. It can be very hard for younger people to... READ MORE
Waxing nostalgic over phones of yore
My grandmother, bless her 19th century heart, never got it about telephones. When she would pick up the boring-black handset in her living room, she would furiously click the two black buttons that popped up. She said she was clicking to attract the attention of the operator. “But, Grandma,” I would say, in my eight-year-old wisdom, “it’s all automatic. There’s no... READ MORE
