Category: Essay
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Cash
One of the things I miss a lot about the olden days is cash. You know, those pale green paper slips that had value. I was attracted to them from a young age. I remember my dad used to iron his dollar bills. Yep, after getting the creases out of his white Sunday dress shirt,…
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My Story of Being Scammed
There’s a simple saying from a man who I admire (Jocko Willink, retired Navy Seal, podcaster, author, jiu jitsu black belt, among other things): “GOOD.” He’s got an inspirational YouTube video on it. I like his perspective. Life is full of tragedies and hardships. Many people in the world have real problems like famine, lack…
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Number One
“Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will stand in the presence of kings. He will not stand in the presence of unknown men.” – Proverbs 22: 29 We all admire greatness. Skill, finesse. A professional who can make something really hard look effortless. Think of your Olympic figure skaters. I’m in…
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Get Out
Something I’ve noticed about spring: in addition to flowers coming out, people come out. It’s rough, when you’re an introvert. Just this past week, I’ve seen twice the number of joggers in my neighborhood. Oh, and cyclists have doubled as well. Even bikes hauling kids. And some joggers push strollers. I even saw a guy…
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You Have Time
One of my least favorite things to hear people say, and something I don’t allow myself to even say is “I don’t have time.” We all have time. You’re spending your time reading this right now. You could be spending the time on a million other things: working out, walking your dog, cleaning your house,…
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Life is Right Now
I recently finished reading Meditations for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman. I highly recommend it. It feels a bit like Ecclesiastes (one of my favorite books of the Bible) and a very toned-down self-help book. It’s great for perfectionists, people-pleasers, and overachievers (not that I fall into any of those categories). One of the big lessons…
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Political Ads
One of my not-so-favorite things about my favorite month of the year is political ads. And I don’t watch much TV but it’s clear that of late they’ve been dominating the media scene. There’s a battle for city council, school board, a Congressional seat, and of course, President and Vice President of the United States.…
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Disappointment
Most people have nightmares/dreams about being chased, being assaulted, being in plane crashes or natural disasters. Me, I have dreams of letting people down. Putting on the completely transparent/vulnerable hat here: it’s a deep root in my psyche. I’ve attended a few therapy sessions in my life (about 4 years ago). Through some rapid-eye-movement-talk-therapy-complex processing…
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Painful Experiences
I’ve been fortunate in my life up to this point to have not suffered significant physical pain. For that I’m grateful. I guess what got me thinking about pain was the fact I just watched The Shallows featuring the gorgeous Blake Lively. She gets attacked by a great white shark and pretty much held captive…
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Handsome Men in Movies
The other night I watched one of my favorite movies, a Disney movie from the early 90s, Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken. One of my favorite things about the movie is the main male character, Al. He’s actually good looking. It’s funny to me that in a lot of films, I don’t find the oh-so-attractive…
gremlin fodder 