I am a chronic complainer. I grumble. I gripe. I have grievances. Sometimes my whining gets on my wife’s nerves. She says, “You should quit whining, Phil.” But I tell her, “I don’t like your tone of voice, Sweetie, it’s beginning to bother me.” I hate to admit it, but I have won the Wimbledon of Whining and the Grand Slam of Bellyaching...

Ever since he was knee high to a Doberman the boy was fearless. Take him to the ocean and he’d jump in looking for sharks. Take him to the mountains and he’d see how high he could climb. One day when he was 5, I watched in horror as he jumped off a roof—a garbage bag duck-taped to his back. We couldn’t be more opposite, my son and I. The...

Life is short and we never have too much time for gladdening the hearts of those who are traveling the dark journey with us. Oh be swift to love, make haste to be kind. ~ Henri Frederick Amiel One of the greatest tragedies of a fast-forward world is that we are less available to be surprised by the spontaneous. As we sacrifice relationships on...

Two major events took place during the week this book was due. First of all, I turned 40. Don't worry, I am not having a midlife crisis yet. I will wait to finish this chapter before I dye my hair. Several birthday cards arrived from friends who were trying to be helpful, I'm sure. One contained a bumper sticker that said, "Forty's not old. For...

During the years when diamonds were first being discovered in Africa, a farmer was intrigued by the promise of great wealth. Only one thing stood in his way. His farm had to be sold before he could set off in search of the diamonds that would make him a wealthy man. At last the deal was done and he was free. Free to pursue his dream. The search...

It seemed like a bad idea at the time. But a friend was listening and sipping coffee, so I thought I’d give it a try. “Hey,” I said, past a mouthful of muffin, “how about we get some guys together a few times a month for a reading group. We’ll discuss something serious like Plato…or Archie comic books. We can meet at my house.” The...

I’ve been hanging out in nursing homes a little earlier than I planned, now that Mom finds herself a permanent resident in this one-story unit a mile from our house. Here most of the inmates are aging gracefully. Others are determined to seek vengeance by using their wheelchairs as bumper cars and their canes as harpoons. When the grandkids visit...