The older I get, the more solitary my life becomes. This isn’t a sad or deliberate thing but rather an unconscious choice to lean into more peaceful, less dramatic activities. I’ve always loved team sports, parties, holidays, concerts, sporting events, etc. – undertakings that involve large groups of people. I thrived off these activities throughout…

My wife and I rented our first apartment from an elderly couple right after we graduated from college. The space consisted of three rooms and a bathroom squeezed into a renovated attic above the main house. It was a relatively cozy spot; however, the ceilings were sloped, which meant I would always knock my head…

I remember the moment like it was yesterday: My girlfriend (soon to be my wife) and I were sitting in our tiny apartment glued to the television. It was evening, and CNN was covering the first United States invasion of Iraq. The war had officially begun. And in a change to the network landscape, the…

Not a week goes by that I’m not yelling at my son about eating snacks in his bedroom. Initially, I wasn’t opposed to the idea, but after years of finding stale and rotted food underneath his bed and behind his furniture, I finally put my foot down (getting fresh wall-to-wall carpeting installed also prompted the…

If there’s one thing I’ve been lucky with in my life, it’s sleep. Other than my spat with cancer several years ago, I’ve navigated my night times with relative ease. I hear countless stories from people who suffer from insomnia or nocturnal restlessness, and I always feel thankful that I’ve avoided that life pitfall. I’ve…

I have a bad habit of buying useless gifts for my wife and son. This reckless activity manifests most visibly during Christmastime when I generally go overboard in the purchase of unneeded items. I have always loved seeing my wife’s and son’s eyes light up when they are met with the motherlode of wrapped presents.…

There was one Chinese restaurant in the town I grew up in. Our family rarely went there because my father (being a die-hard Italian) didn’t have much use for Eastern cuisine. It was all fettuccini, rigatoni, and fusilli for him. (Ironically, I found out years after my father’s death that his first date with my…

When I moved my family moved into our new home a decade ago, I convinced myself the bonus room located above the garage would be my haven. I imagined spending time there to relax, reflect, and create. Unfortunately, that never happened. From the moment I stuck a large screen TV and couch into the space,…

My son made a claim recently that I disputed. It was something outrageous about how much money athletes were making playing basketball outside of the NBA. He cited a social media-driven league I had no knowledge of and then boasted that most of the players were making millions of dollars. When I questioned his primary…

Many years ago, when my son was a budding teenager, I got into a heated debate with him after coming home from baseball practice. The details are foggy, but my recollection is that I was disappointed with his effort that day, so I lectured him about the benefits of focus and hard work. I’ll admit…

It’s been almost one year since my family traveled to Vail for a ski vacation. I have a brother who lives in Denver, so we like to visit annually. While we’re there, we take advantage of the looming Rocky Mountains and the fun they offer. After a couple of days in the Mile High City,…

I purchased my first iPhone nearly 15 years ago. I would have jumped on board earlier, but the product wasn’t available in my little Vermont town. Prior to that, I had several flip phones, but I was always pining for Steve Jobs’ glorious invention.   I just looked back, and it appears that I took…

 I recently had to go on a business trip and decided, since my son was available, that I would drag him along for company. The trip involved my own vehicle, so we packed up the night prior and got on the road at 6 a.m. the following morning. If I’m going on a long road…

In September of last year, I put my son on a flight to Australia, where he would spend the next month backpacking throughout t that country’s eastern coast. He then flew to Bangkok, Thailand, for another month, this time enjoying the jungles and beaches in the surrounding regions. Finally, he concluded his Pacific trek with…

I have always stayed awake on New Year’s Eve to watch the ball drop in Times Square. No matter where I am or what I’m doing, for that final minute, I’m going to be glued to the television. It’s been a tradition of mine since I was a young child, and as far back as…