The Bureau of Aging Has a Sense of Humor: Where Did All My Hair Go?
There comes a point in a man’s life when the hair on his head apparently receives a government relocation order. It does not disappear. It transfers. Some of it moves south into the eyebrows, where it immediately abandons all respect for zoning laws. One…
What Cancer and Aging Taught Me About the Man in the Mirror
For the past few years, I have not particularly enjoyed the mirror. Every morning there it was waiting for me while I shaved, offering an unrequested inventory. Wrinkles. Worry lines, aptly named. Gray in the beard. Less hair, although I have taken…
Where Did I Put That Box? The Exhausting, Humorous Reality of Unpacking After a Move
I have been gone since the 9th. Not missing. Not kidnapped. Not living under an assumed name in another state. Just busy. There is a difference, although at my age the distinction occasionally becomes blurry. The last few weeks have involved moving,…
Retiring From Work, Not From Purpose: Embracing the Call to Teach and Serve
I can retire from work. There will come a day when I no longer clock in, no longer work the long nights, no longer answer to schedules, reports, alarms, meetings, and the endless machinery that keeps a working life moving. I can retire from a job. But I…
Living with AFib: Surviving Arrhythmia, Pharmacy Apps, and Cardioversion
“When the Heart Throws a Party,” “Call the Electrician,” Momma said there’d be days like this, that’s what Momma said. Now we’re off to the races. Once a song enters my head, something is usually kicking around behind it. Looks like today we’re back to…
The Power of Slowing Down: Heart Health, Coffee, and Realizing What Truly Matters
“Tumble out of bed, stumble to the kitchen, pour yourself a cup of ambition…” And there it is. Pour yourself a cup of ambition. Caffeine. That is what has been missing. For years I lived on adrenaline, fast-paced noise, and yes, plenty of caffeine. Now…
Growing Older May Require Adjustments, but It Does Not Require Surrender
Good morning, readers. Before we begin, did you take your medication today? Go ahead. Run and do that. I’ll wait. Good. Now that’s done, and your glass of ice water is sitting beside you, it is story time. This morning, I stood in front of the mirror…
The Sound of the Midnight Train: Reflections on Melancholy, Memory, and Growing Older
Melancholy. What a strange word. It can mean longing, reflection, sadness, the memory of times past. In living my life, it is not a word I have given much thought. Yet here I am, in the midst of what I suppose would be called melancholy. There is a train…
Remission Is Not Intermission: Finding Peace After the Cancer Scans Stop
It is coming up on three years since this health journey arrived and moved into my life without asking permission. Since then, I have made changes. I have tried to remain consistent. I have eaten differently, moved more, taken the pills, worn the mask,…
“Neglected, Not Gone”: Why the Good Old Days Are Less About Nostalgia and More About Faith
Every now and then, a song will sneak up on you. I was thinking about that old Judds song, “Grandpa,” and the line about the good old days. At first, it is easy to think the song is talking about old cars, dirt roads, front porches, and simpler times.…