Category: BLOG

“Do you have any regrets?” I know you’re supposed answer no, or in the words of Frank Sinatra, “too few to mention.”But I have one. It’s a regret that was born half a lifetime ago, but one worth bringing up especially this spring. I didn’t go to my college graduation. It was no big deal, I said. […]

His name was Professor Underwood and he absolutely loved his job. He was my professor of parasitology at the University of Minnesota and he would charge into each class with undisguised glee. The class was Introduction to Parasitology, nicked-named “the worm class.”And for a full hour, he would (using plenty of slides!) teach the hundred or […]

Harold was about 80 and was recounting a truth to me that I have heard about 100 times. It’s the truth I call The Shape of Life and it starts with his story: Harold fell in love with Agnes and the truth was, she was a piece of work. High strung, high tempered, high maintenance. […]

It was a year ago, February 4th. The group of men were gathered around the TV looking shocked and forlorn. I couldn’t see the screen but was imagining some sort of horrible breaking news story. I elbowed my way to closer look at the screen. It was a sports channel showing Super Bowl highlights. “What’s […]

A few years ago, a buddy of mine spent a winter at his in-laws’ cabin—all winter. In a cabin. We’re talking a wood stove, log walls and a constant all-day long fight to stay warm. “I mean, I would spend a solid four hours a day, either cutting wood, hauling wood, splitting wood, hauling ashes, […]

Memories are funny. Some you recall almost daily. But other times an event or circumstance triggers a forgotten memory from childhood that you unpack with delight like a treasure trunk in an attic—like the time my sister made the Christmas dress for Mom. I think she was nine years old. She had just taken her […]

Here’s an opening question. What is the right amount of failure? If you say, zero—well that reminds me of playing tic-tac-toe, a game that any 8-year-old can play and never lose. A game so boring that no one likes to play it. And of course, a game can’t be impossible to win or we would never […]

It was a Wednesday and I was finishing up a cup of coffee at the coffee shop. One of the guys who is a regular was heading out, too. I asked if he was looking forward to enjoying some great fall weather. “Nah, not this week,” he said. “I’m closing up at the store for […]

Three conversations about quitting in the past day has got me thinking on the topic. 1. The guy was in tough shape—hospitalized, breathing hard and in some pain. The doctor was as blunt as a guy trying to save a life can be. “It’s simple. You have to quit smoking. Now. You have to lose […]