• More words to live by

    When you’re not feeling your best, do you crave a pick-me-up that you can sink your teeth into? Do you look for something that can raise your blood sugar as much as your spirits? Is frosted something more than a colorful way to describe your mood? If you are with me so far then you can appreciate the soothing value of a frosted brown sugar and cinnamon Pop-tart toaster pastry. My only beef with the Pop-tart people is that they package the tasty morsels in pairs. When you crack that seal of freshness, and the tear in the foil package gives you that first glimpse of what’s waiting inside, no fewer than two pastries assault your senses. What freedom loving American could abandon a perfectly good toaster pastry, regardless of the size of your appetite? Returning an unsealed, and lets face it: damn near criminally vulnerable, toaster pastry to the opened box is more than this conscientious author can bear.

    So when I’m alone in my office, and there are no takers for a perfectly good spare toaster pastry, I really can’t eat just one. It’s just not the right thing to do.

    Tune in next time when we debate the pros and cons of the hard ‘n fruity, soft ‘n chewy, artificially flavored, cherry Now and Later.

  • A day like any other day, elections not withstanding

    You know what? The sun rose this morning. The Earth continued on its orbit around the sun. There were cars on the street. People were going about their business. CNN, MSNBC, et al. were still broadcasting the news. My daughter got up and went to school. My son woke up early in the morning with his trademark “feed me” cry. I still love my wife as much as ever.

    Why then am I grasping at emotional straws this morning?

    It turns out I’m not (well not anymore anyway), and it’s funny how life can work out for you like that. You see, there are still so many ways we can all make a difference, and I’m not just talking about politics. I’m talking about life. I came in to work feeling like a redistricted Texas Democrat on inauguration day. Then I got a phone call from a young person in need of a little help. I’ve never got a whole lot of personality to spare, and the situation was critical this morning, but I somehow scraped some together – and I helped this person. I could sense the change in tone on the other end of the line. It may have been trivial, heck – it may not have been all that helpful, but it only took a few minutes of my time. Now imagine all of those brief moments put together. Imagine what the cumulative effect could be.

    Things may not always break your way, but never doubt that you can make a difference. You have that opportunity every moment of every day. Maybe you already knew this, but I needed some reminding this morning. If I’ve reminded even one person (myself included) then this entry is worth while.

  • If you don’t have anything nice to say about the election, don’t say anything at all…