View From Here

It’s Halloween. Big deal. If you are a kid (up to and slightly past teenager), you get a kick out of this weird ‘holiday.’ I don’t. Outgrew it once our kids were above caring. And I stopped caring between late teens and childbearing years. That means, most of my life has been spent not caring about Halloween. Now, candy bars freely dispensed at neighbors’ doors, that never goes out of style for me. Make mine Snickers. OK. There was one dark period regarding Halloween, however. It was when I was a new homeowner and a very young parent. I worried that some young delinquent would vandalize my house or car. The worry was financial. In those days I simply could not afford an extra expenditure. Later it didn’t worry me. Oh, I continue to care that someone might vandalize our homestead; the injustice of that action is the bother. On the other hand, we Americans can certainly state that we live in a society that is under constant pressure from vandalism. Think about street crime. Gun vio...

There is just so much I can do. At any specific moment, or on a particular date. Being asked to do something more by another person, wedges that task in among the others already scheduled. Do I do it or demur? As I get older, I demur a lot. It took me a long time to finally manage my time blocks effectively, and by that, I mean establishing a healthy balance between work and personal needs. Those needs are rest, relaxation, modest exercise, decent eating habits and sticking to a diet of food and sleep. The intellectual capability remains, but the physical needs of the body require us to slow down. Another interrupter of balance is senior depression. This is a condition that sneaks up on people above the age of 65, more likely 75, when life’s limits are becoming more obvious. Although limits are reasonable and logical, it has some emotional content including loss and grief of waning abilities. Learning discipline that works for each individual is highly variable. One size does no...

Decades ago, I thought a transatlantic crossing on a ship would be just the best thing ever. From New York to England. Then travels would take me across Europe ending in Italy from where I would cruise home to New York. Glamorous. Exclusive. Fantastic food. And so much more. Of course, those thoughts were fed by movies of the day like A Time to Remember , and important snippets in other films. Today, that image is tarnished by super ships that apparently attempt at being Disney World at sea. Every amusement seems to be engineered into the ship’s offerings of goodies for everyone, especially the kids. My image from long ago had nothing to do with kids. It was an adult experience of sophistication and quiet, serious thinking, and relating. Funny how those thoughts do not align with today’s cruise world. The entertainment vessels of the seas are crammed with 3000 or more passengers, allotted to ever smaller cabins, as well as every bacteria and virus known to man. And some unknown v...

Election Season : another political ad on the internet. Another Facebook session loaded with election ads. We don’t watch cable TV so we are spared much of this election noise. Mailbox is increasingly filled with this stuff, bigger, gaudier and more frequent. Ugly, too.  We received our mail-in ballots, immediately filled them out and mailed them in. We can ignore the ads now, but then, how do we get others to vote like their lives depended on it? It does, you know. Sure! You know. Be on the safe side and urge others to do their civic duty, too. All votes matter and counts. Make sure yours does. School Shootings : Michigan, St. Louis, and still more high school shootings. Drive-by shootings continue unabated. Wild shootouts in public places spring up from time to time. Nothing seems to stop or slow these events. Tell me again how a civilized society controls for these tragedies? And how is that working? Rhythm of Life : it just keeps thumping along. Time. tasks. Chores. In si...

I have written about this before, and this is another go at it. Appealing to the ignorant and weak of taste may be profitable in our private enterprise system, but it has produced a lot of lousy programming. Alluring news headlines, movies, TV programming and so much more has cheapened our public relationships. A democracy needs much better fare if we are to understand the world around us and thrive. This flashes through my mind every time I search for a decent movie or TV program while on streaming services. Netflix has thousands of programs to choose from. Time consuming if you do a decent job of searching. Clearly the market is geared toward millennials who have less experience to make keen decisions. That frustrates older viewers unless they care to learn what their grandkids are thinking. But then again, we were once young and sexiness was a thing for us, too. Hard to imagine, perhaps, but then again… Action movies seem to be popular things, but I truly cannot stand zombie flick...

Cops and robbers seem so simple. The bad guys wield guns, enter a store or bank, an alarm is sounded, and the cops surround the building and arrest the bad guys. From start to finish an interesting story and a fast one at that. But wait, that is not the end of the tale. Yep, now starts the lawyer and court saga. The jailed bad guys have a right to a lawyer, then an interview, then negotiations for bond while awaiting trial. The procedures leading to court time are lengthy and time consuming. All of these steps ensure that the person charged with a crime has ample opportunity to prove his innocence when at trial. Often the time drain is too much for prosecutors and police agencies, so deals are made for lesser charges and smaller penalties for a guilty plea. This saves court time and everyone else’s time leading up to the trial date. So, a guilty party doesn’t always pay for the crime, or even pay the proper penalty when pled to a lesser charge. While all of this is going one, the h...

It seems our thoughts turn to simple matters from time to time. As we study those simple things, we suddenly face with larger, deeper issues. Like a magnifying glass or microscope, we see more details in what appeared simple on the surface. Building blocks are like that. they are basic but hold the secrets of support, strength, even might. An idea is a building block. So is an observation of a flower, a bud, a stem, root, even weeds. The botanical world is enormous when viewed with a microscope. How do roots function? How does food enter the plant and circulate in the cellular structure to nourish the plant? What is the role of water? How is it absorbed by the plant, and where does it go within the plant? The idea, again, articulates the ephemeral but gives the idea life to expand, explore and grab onto other matters and ideas. The brain is pulling in resources by the second and feeding broader understanding. The psyche supplies emotions to the process. We become aware of other bas...

It seems weird when the mind conjures up memories, snap shots of long ago when impressions were first shaping the body of interest in a young mind. Often these snap shots are flashes unrelated to one another. Here is a smattering of what I’m talking about. ·          A long winter’s weekend snowstorm in New England. I recall treacherous driving up hills and around curves. Snow was still frozen, not slushy. Packed to a muffled road sound, the car slipped and slid miles before arriving in the safety of our garage. The time was early in our days in Massachusetts. We arrived there in 1954 fresh from southern California. Snow was an oddity to we kids. Mom and dad were natives of Minnesota and Chicago, respectively, so they knew how to drive in the white stuff. They were well out of practice, however! ·          Those first winters in Massachusetts were long to us. The cold came in October, snow in November, s...

Ask someone what they do for a living. They will normally respond with a specific title or something general to an industry. “I work for a public utility, ComEd.” Or, “I’m a teacher (grade, middle, high schools or college or university.” They may say an accountant, a case manager, project manager, sales rep, or any of hundreds of things. I was working with a SCORE client the other day, and he stated that he wanted to offer an educational program to high school students that would help prepare them for the world of work. His early thoughts have been focused on the various industries that hire people. He centered on what those industries do, the kind of work they expect their employees to handle. That started him on naming the job titles or professions like lawyer, accountant, manager, salesman, engineer, and so forth. But something nagged within me. As I tried to articulate my concerns, I eventually wound up with what kind of roles a worker may expect to perform in employment, but I...

Upset Moods : change is in the air. Fall weather has arrived, with it a lessening of the heat of summer and a preview of the coming cool weather of winter. And if winter is coming, that means snow, ice and bitter cold, at least here in upper Illinois. This change affects animals as they receive the signal for winter’s approach. Humans have similar response. It is natural. But along with this change are other activities and behaviors that affect our current environment. Upset stock market vibes have spooked the markets. They usually do in early fall. Just review seasonal notes from past years. These upsets extend to political uneasiness, especially in the years of elections. Aging sets up warning flares, too, along with the gradual maturation of our young family members. Changes often lead to mood swings and upsets. In that environment we tend to focus on the negative. It takes resolve to remain positive. It takes courage to bump against the natural flow of colleagues. Yet, we have a ...

Sit back in your chair. Preferably your computer chair. Scan the internet for news of the world, or your part of the world, or maybe your own neighborhood or block. Just scan. Let the headlines form sentences or phrases they report. Is this a description of your world? Or is it foreign and distant? Are you intrigued by the headlines? Will you, do you, read deeper into the stories? Regardless, what is your impression of the events of the world? Are you restless? Maddened? Piqued? I scan the headlines several times each day. If an item interests me, I read on. Internet headlines are copious these days. You can’t escape them unless you discipline yourself. I’m hopeless in this regard. I subject myself to headlines. Yesterday, I subscribed to several daily postings from the New York Times. I chose the publication because it appears to be the daily newspaper of record for the entire nation. No other paper even tries to do this. The Chicago Tribune has demoted itself to a pickled version...

  Inflation was a natural result of many years of massive public spending. COVID Pandemic spending was a major cause, but then that spending saved the day when tens of millions lost their job to massive shutdowns of businesses. The pandemic caused a social shift – many lost jobs were already heading to the scrapheap of obsolescence – that continues its strong debut. Tens of millions of out of work or marginally employed workers still must improve their skillsets if they expect to earn top dollar in a rapidly modernizing economy. Displacement and disruption are ongoing currents in our economy and social order. That instability creates both opportunities and crushing threats to individuals. Those who are prepared, survive just fine. Those who aren’t prepared, find pink slips and joblessness. Individual businesses, including millions of small businesses, find innovative products and services on the market these days. Old inventory will not move, and losses accumulate. New produc...

Downsizing included getting rid of a car with a monthly payment. Instead, I sold the newer vehicle in a high price cycle of the market, and bought a 17-year-old car. The old car is a good car, but it does have 92,000 miles on its odometer, and there are the usual squeaks and hiccups of an old car. However, the old car is a station wagon model of a ‘classic’ luxury brand. My ride is a 2006 Mercedes R-500. The 500 refers to its 5-liter V-8 engine. The vehicle is classic Mercedes with leather interior, navigation, power everything, and three-zone heating and air conditioning to keep the third row of seats comfortable. The roof is entirely a see-thru window. Half of it retracts for open air driving. The suspension is air bladders and adjustable to many preferences of height, ride quality and that sort of thing. The downside has been this: new set of tires with four-wheel alignment; replace rear air bag suspension components; replace four-wheel drive front differential and replace a lar...

National Coming Out Day was yesterday, October 11 th . It is the national day recognizing the struggle of gay persons to be free and admit to the world they are gay. It is a recognized moment each year to accomplish two things: first is to experience the freedom from hiding oneself; second is the courage to admit to oneself they are gay. The second is really the first step. Announcing to the world and everyone in it can’t happen without the other. I didn’t know I was gay until later in life. I had clues from when I was 7 to 10. By 11 I was questioning things. By 14 I had a good picture of the truth. It wasn’t until I was in my early 20’s that I experienced gay sex. Still, I didn’t want to be this way. So, I hid it, from myself and others. I pursued the American Dream, married and became a father. I struggled to build a meaningful career to fulfill myself and support my family. Then, one day, I know not why, I looked into the bathroom mirror and said aloud, “Huh. I’m gay and it does...

Life is lived by each person alone but within relationships to the rest of humanity. The ‘rest’ part is often in groups, family, colleagues and strangers. But each person lives life as an individual to make sense of all the rest. What does any one fact mean? Or an experience? Who are the other people in my life and what do they mean to me and to themselves? Why are they in my life experience? What am I supposed to do with this? With these simple questions we set out on a journey to experience and learn from life. Much later each of us is equipped to make sense of our surroundings. That leads to questions and answers leading to broader understandings. We follow that with exploration and discovery. We study, ponder and research much more. We expand the breadth and depth of our own understanding the world surrounding the self. In this manner we slowly evolve into a self-determining adult person. At no point are we perfect at this mission. No, we are imperfect beings growing and becomi...

Several years ago, I felt frustrated with three volunteer involvements I had joined. One was significant, productive and highly valuable for the community. However, they had decidedly discriminated against people of same sex orientation. I was aghast. I am one such person. How could I possibly remain with them and be part of such an organization that discriminates against people like? I also felt a bruise on my church affiliation because they were a member of a community organization that included the discriminating organization. So, I resigned from those two groups, and another time-consuming volunteer engagement. My pastor told me I had discerned an important element that drew me to action. All is good with that, she claimed. It took me a while to better understand discernment. It is the act of judging well, so much so as to change self-understanding leading to change. That is what it was. I had discovered something that, upon deep reflection, was too odious to remain in my lif...

For several years I have thought about an old childhood chum. We went through pre-teen and teenage years together. We lost contact while in college. Oh, we wrote from time to time while in college, but he dropped out, moved to New York City and shortly thereafter we lost contact. The years before that we shared junior high school and high school. We attended the same church and shared all of the church’s youth groups and activities. During the summer, his scouting background helped us explore the woods, and bike paths of western New England. We talked about everything under the sun. We discussed puberty and sex matters, wondering all the while what it meant. Later, we talked about science, history, philosophy and religion. We talked a lot together. In person and by phone. We built a fort in the woods and spent languorous hours thinking out loud about many topics. This was the 50’s. The music, architecture, cars, fashion and people of the era. We were into it all, at least chat wise...

Over the years I have followed slow drivers, walkers and customers. For the most part they were older people who seemed to be living in slow-motion. Now that I am one of those seniors, I understand the tempo. Getting a cup out of the cupboard is a task that must be remembered, along with the spoon, and another cup for your spouse. Then, getting those items to our computer desk for morning computer session with coffee. Forgetting any one thing requires a return trip, getting into and out of the computer chair, and so on. Time may fly by, but our actions sure don’t. Same with getting to the car. Plan the process: get wallet, keys and mask. Grab walker and exit apartment. Roll the walker down the hall to the elevator. Down to first floor. Through the door into the garage. Trek 80 feet to our parking spot and unlock car. Stash the walker in front of the car for temporary storage or load it into the car for use on errands. Finally reach the car door. Getting into the car is slow becau...

Aging Celebrities : curiously, many icons of the entertainment, newscaster and fashion industries are dying off or simply fading out of view. It is what happens when a society ages. Then too, youth icons spring up to take their place. Older audiences don’t understand much of the youth music, let alone its literary genre. The generational curse is alive and well. My kids have expressed the knowledge of things they know little about. On the other hand, they know much about science, technology and culture trends that I do not share. Doubt I ever will. I recall my son wondering why a men’s toiletry bag is called a Dopp kit. I told him a Mr. Dopp invented the first such bag and the rest is history. I don’t know if this is true, but so far, he has believed me!  Shame on me. Dad’s will be dads. Ukraine: standoff or not ? Is the war over or not? Most likely it is not. Russia has many other forms of attack they have not used up to this point. The world community is cautioning Putin not to...

I have encountered a situation that bothers me. On the retail front, getting help at a gas station for those who are mobility challenged. With my recent falls, it has been difficult to resume normal activities. One of these has been driving our car. I can now get into and out of the car. Some difficulty, especially getting out of the car. I carry a walker with me if I expect a trek from a parking lot into a store and vice versa, or if the store is a big box with lots of walking. Lately, buying gas has been frustrating. Drive up to the pump, get out, insert card and get a message “see cashier. Thinking it was something wrong with my card, I struggle to walk to the station building and talk with the cashier. Nothing wrong with my card or the pump. They merely wanted me to enter their store so I would be tempted to buy something. Lines were long with people doing just that. I was the only one paying for gas, which I had not pumped yet. She only asked what dollar amount I wanted. So, I...

It doesn’t seem possible eleven years has gone past so quickly. But it has. This blog began at a time I was the managing editor of a community newspaper. Focusing on that community and its needs was central to what our team was all about. Political events in the state, region and nation were also big at the time. I found it difficult to keep those news items out of the community paper. To help me do that, I began writing this blog. It is meant to be a commentary on the daily events and emerging news on a national scale. I hoped this strategy would keep the community focus of the paper clear of national items unless that were pertinent. The blog succeeded to do just that. Along the way hundreds of thousands of readers scanned my blog. Interestingly, foreign readers outnumbered domestic readership. Reader interest came from France, Indonesia and Asia. Why this was so I cannot imagine. Some days readership soared while other days it stumbled to low numbers. Then something happened...