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…

As a teenager, one of my most prized possessions was my stereo. The multi-unit system sat atop the dresser in my bedroom for years before following me to college and on to my first apartments. Nowadays, we only need a smartphone and a Spotify subscription to enjoy our favorite artists. Still, decades ago, serious music…

Ninety-nine percent of the time, while I run, I listen to either podcasts or audiobooks. My runs generally last one hour, so for those 60 minutes, I am a captive audience. I can thoroughly engross myself in listening and develop a deeper understanding of what’s being discussed. However, when Dec. 1 arrives, things change. On…

Several years ago, while on a work trip to Denmark, I took a stroll into downtown Copenhagen to take in the sights. I enjoy roaming the cities I visit, hoping to catch a glimpse of something new and interesting or find some delicacy I’ve never tasted.  Denmark is notoriously rainy, but the sun was shining…

Sports were my greatest concern growing up, to the detriment of almost every other activity. I never considered choir or band or scouting or anything else. I was all-in with my sporting interests, which varied in degree between basketball, football, baseball, and track.  My personality was completely defined and characterized by my involvement in athletics.…

I have a friend who lives just outside of a major city in the South. He’s done well for himself; he drives a nice car, has a lovely wife and kids, has carved out a successful career in the insurance world, and lives in a beautiful home. Recently, we had a conversation about getting older…

When I graduated from college, very few people had a personal computer. Instead, we had campus computer labs that required students to reserve space at designated workstations. At your allotted time, you would enter the lab with a dozen other people and then reference your assignments from 5.25” floppy disks. Then, only a handful of…

The more things change I’d like to say that I don’t mind change (simply because it’s the one constant in life, so there’s no sense fighting it), but the reality is that I’m not a big fan. I’ve constructed my life so that I’m very comfortable with how things unfold on a day-to-day basis. Therefore,…

I’ve spent years interviewing candidates for various jobs. I’ve done it so much that I can generally tell within minutes of meeting someone whether or not they are going to fit in. In my profession, you have to be able to “talk the talk,” and if you’re not keeping up with my questions and observations,…

Several months ago, I wrote about my son’s high school graduation and how shocked my wife and I were when we learned that he had told the entire graduating class that he was headed for Japan once his senior year ended. We discovered his intentions after the valedictorian mentioned it during his speech. “I even…