The Roots Of Culture
The house we are staying in is surrounded by trees that are foreign to an Okie. Too many different varieties of pine to count, and Aspens. Aspen is a common name for several tree species in the genus “Populus” which includes Poplar and Cottonwoods also. The Populus Tremuloides, or Quaking Aspen, is the most widely…
Read MoreA Day Away
“Each person deserves a day away in which no problems are confronted, no solutions searched for.” – Maya Angelou As I was sitting in the hot tub last night looking up at the pine trees swaying in the mountain breezes I realized I hadn’t written a Monday Musing, so this one comes on Tuesday, a…
Read MoreKnow Pain, Know Gain
Wednesday evening my back spasmed and locked up. This has happened before. Actually, quite a few times. This time it was worse than it had ever been. Later Wednesday night I had a full-blown panic attack. The pain was unbearable, I needed to move, but couldn’t. I was drowning. I was sweating. My heart was…
Read MoreSex Was Never Safe
I have told you before that I read a variety of things from a wide range of sources. Often those sources push views that I am not aligned with. I read an article last week that fits in this category: on a site I rarely agree with and by an author I don’t share much…
Read MoreA Stone Of Hope
I was in Washington DC last week with my 14 yr old son, some of his classmates and a few of their parents. This is an annual trek to the nation’s capital organized by the school to afford the students an opportunity to view firsthand the monuments, museums and locations that detail and preserve the…
Read MoreYou Be Me For A While, I’ll Be You
“Kimray is the kind of place people want to root for.” That’s what someone said to me during a lunch meeting the other day. I was struck by that statement. I wrote it in my book. I have thought about it a lot since. I like to watch movies with my kids. We often focus…
Read MoreSocial Animals
My wife and I spent the better part of Memorial Day weekend with our children. All of them. 6 kids, ages 13 to 23, one daughter-in-law, and one amazingly beautiful granddaughter. That is not the impetus for the title, although for a stretch of the day, when the boys were in the pool, the term…
Read MoreIt’s Been A Long Time, Or Has It?
This week is the 8-year anniversary of the death of my friend Andy. It is also my 6-year anniversary of recovery. Time is an interesting thing. I recently read an article on Quartz, by physicist Carlo Rovelli, about time: https://qz.com/1279371/this-physicists-ideas-of-time-will-blow-your-mind/ that raises some interesting questions. One quote in particular struck me: “Time is a story we’re…
Read MoreSetting The Ball
Mother’s Day Version 2018 went pretty well at our house. Our children took it upon themselves, together and in small groups, to plan and prepare dinner, procure flowers and chocolate, and invite and coordinate with the grandmothers. I still find it ironic that on Father’s Day dads get to sleep in, play golf, watch TV…
Read MoreExperience + Innocence
Wednesday night my wife and I took 4 of our children to Tulsa to see the opening night of U2’s North American leg of the Experience + Innocence Tour. The show was exceptional, they always are. Experiencing it with my kids was special. I’ve been to see U2 many times, but this was the first…
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