There's hope for the U.S. yet

Well well well.  The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) has finally joined the rest of us here in the 21st century.  For a while it looked like we were going further and further back in time. 

In all fairness it wasn't the whole court that was bent on living in the past.  Just the four conservatives and a fifth justice who is usually considered a 'swing' vote but lately he's been swinging right.

With last week's rulings it looks like there just might be hope.  First, the Affordable Care Act was given their support.  Second, it was determined that all states must allow people to marry whomever they want.

Definitely progress.  Too bad it didn't bite the bullet (no pun intended) with gun control.   Also its ruling regarding corporate political donations and independence is troubling.  But, hey, we have to take things a little at a time.

Now we need Scalia and Thomas to resign before Obama leaves office and then things will improve dramatically.

Note:  I won't be posting here again until after July 5th.  Taking a little break.  See you then.

Take it down-or let it fly. Which should it be?

What do you think of when you see this flag?  Do you think it represents one of the United Kingdom countries?  Is it an older version of the Stars and Stripes? Maybe you think it's one of the state's flags.

What this is is the flag of The Confederate States of America.  As a result of the recent tragedy in South Carolina there's a bit of a storm revolving around this flag.  It seems the flag flies over South Carolina's state capital.  According to my information it also flies over the Alabama and Mississippi capitals.

Everyone has their own idea of what this flag means to them. Many people (mostly southerners I presume)  regard it as a symbol of independence, freedom from tyranny and self regulation-or at least that's what their politicians and many citizens say it stands for.

Here's what I think it means: insurrection, racism and ignorance. 

The Civil War is over.  The union endured.  State politicians have no business flying this flag publicly and especially not at a state capital.  By doing so they're sending the message that they embrace the values embodied in it.  It needs to come down.  Do you see the German swastika flying at state capitals or in Germany anywhere?  Of course not.  Take it down.  Now.

Fathers Day

Well, I got my new hedge clippers thanks to my son and daughter.  They must have over heard me say my old ones finally bit the dust. 

The old joke about fathers receiving ties never applied to me.  I never once received a tie-or a mug for that matter.

Actually I long ago stopped giving gift ideas for Fathers Day.  Just having the opportunity to be with the family for a day is fine with me. 

I think most men my age think the same thing.

Next up?  Next Sunday we leave for the Dominican Republic.  Should be a great trip.

Another school year draws to a close

 It was exactly 11 years ago today that I bid farewell to a 32 year career in public education.  After I retired I continued to sub and even now I continue to get in the school to volunteer in my grand sons' classes as much as possible. It happens to be the same school where I taught. My grand sons finished kindergarten and first grade respectively. My grand daughters are headed into 4th grade and 6th grade respectively. 

As part of the year-end activities we got to go to Cole & Nicholas's authors's teas.  We went to Brooke's end-of-year performances of two Shakespeare plays (That's right.  Fifth graders doing Shakespeare! My fifth graders never did Shakespeare, that's for sure!).  And Nicholas graduated from kindergarten.

Courtney just finished third grade so she doesn't have graduations nor does her class apparently do Shakespeare but she does have a piano recital coming up so that's the next thing we have to look forward to.

Time has a way of passing so much more quickly than we expect.  It's amazing to me to think we no longer have preschool grand children.   They're growing up so quickly but certainly there are no regrets.  People grow up. It's as simple as that. The things we celebrate now are all good things and the things we're going to be celebrating in the future will be just as good. 

My younger grandson's class sent me the letter you see posted below.  I hope to get many more similar to this as time goes on.

The Art of Racing in the Rain

I just finished reading a book passed on to me by my daughter and son-in-law.  It's The Art of Racing in the Rain. It's about a man and his dog and it's narrated by the dog.  There are many racing metaphors sprinkled throughout the book but that's not really what it's about. 

I don't want to spoil it for anyone so I won't say more except that there is more information on the internet and Amazon.com's website.  The book was on the New York Times fiction best seller list for three years.  Authors and publishers are ecstatic if they can be there a few weeks!

It's a great book about life and the speed bumps we all eventually endure.  You don't have to be a dog lover or a racing fan to enjoy it.  But if you are, that's a bonus.

It's out in paperback.  Read it.

A Visit with Jack

Yesterday I visited my friend Jack.  Jack is a 92 year old World War II veteran who lives in a local nursing home.  Jack has a lot of complaints about the nursing home.  Many of those complaints are justified while some are just because he might be in a grumpy mood.

One thing however is true.  There is a great deal of turnover in the help at the facility and too many of those people are not trustworthy.  By this I mean very often a resident's valuables go missing.  Sometimes it's because another resident took them but other times it's because of the help.

Take for example what happened the other night.  Jack got up to use the bathroom.  He's supposed to ring for assistance but he wants to do things on his own.  Well, sure enough, he had a dizzy spell, fell and banged his head.  The ambulance was called and he was taken to the hospital.  Later that night he was returned to the home and put in bed.  The next morning he was OK but he couldn't find his watch.  He remembers on of the night people removing it from his wrist but the next day no one knew anything about it.  It's a possibility someone absentmindedly put it in her scrub pocket but she's been out so they haven't been able to check. 

It's this kind of thing that happens with great frequency.   Another example-I often bring Jack a large bag of those small Hershey chocolates.  He loves chocolate.  The problem is he would have one or two, put them in his night table drawer and the next morning most of them would be gone.  The night people like chocolate too.

It's very difficult to get good help in homes like this.  They pay minimum wage and the training is insufficient. The reason for this is to keep costs down but because of it, the residents suffer. 

So what's the solution?  Diligent family.  Fortunately Jack's brother is on top of all of this but there are many others who have no family or whose family doesn't care.  It's not even possible for a friend like me to intervene because friends have no legal rights over a resident's care.

It's quite a problem and even worse from one state to the next.  Getting sick when you're old is not fun.

General Reflections

This past weekend was very busy given the fact that it was our daughter's birthday Friday followed by two days of grand children sports and yard work.  In fact this is a generally very busy time of year.  Between sports and end-of-year activities as school winds down for the summer there isn't much time for anything else.  But in no way is this a complaint.  It's all good stuff.

As I reflect on the lives of our children and grand children, I'm struck by how different it is for them compared to when I was a child many years ago.   For my sister and me the only organized sporting events we were involved in were our daily trips on our bicycles to a local field where we played baseball with other neighborhood kids.  Forget about school or town sponsored sports.  They simply didn't exist.

End of year school events were also different.  For us there simply weren't any.  For our grand children and even their parents there are a variety of things going on, i.e. concerts, field trips, field days, authors's teas, fairs of various kinds, etc.

In many ways kids today have far more challenges than we did.  Social media alone can turn into a mine field for teens.  But in other ways they're much more fortunate.  There are many more opportunities for them to enjoy  than what was available for those of my generation. 

From time to time I hear people offer the possibility that maybe kids today are too busy.  Maybe they should have more unscheduled time in order to create games of their own instead of everything being planned for them. To me both sides of the issue have good points.  During my teaching days there were many times when my students' out-of-school activities interfered with school. 

The bottom line is it's all about parenting.  Parents are the ones in charge so they're the ones who must set the standard and act responsibly.  Sure, give kids opportunities but let's also give them time to be kids.

Welcome, June!

June already.  A beautiful month.  Nice warm weather.  Flowers blooming.  Kids getting ready to get out of school.  The brutal winter just one more bad memory.  It's a great time of year. There's a full moon tonight but we have a thick cloud cover here in the northeast so you'll have to wait until tomorrow night to see a slightly waning moon.  You won't notice. 

Have a great month.

Book Review

I just finished the book "All the Light We Can Not See" by Anthony Doerr.  The book is set in Europe during World War II. 

This book does not deal with military tactics or battle strategies or the lives of soldiers. The basic focus is on two characters: one a young boy who is eventually recruited into Hitler's Youth and ultimately the German army. The other character is a young, blind french girl. 

What the reader sees is a unique view of what it must have been like to have been a soldier on 'the other side' and what it was like living in an occupied country. 

Events jump back and forth from 1940 to 1945 which some readers said they found confusing but to me  it made perfect sense in terms of what the author was trying to do. 

Eventually the lives of the two main characters merge as the war comes to an end.

The strength of this book is in the many characters the reader meets.  The take away is that World War Two (and by extension all other wars) touched everyone.  No one escapes.

This is one of the best 'war' books I've ever read.  I highly recommend it.

Memorial Day

Sports, picnics, gardens, relaxing,  whatever it may be let us not forget to take a minute or two to  reflect quietly on those who sacrificed so much to make it possible for the rest of us to enjoy this weekend.

A word about today's headline

‘WE’RE SUPPOSED TO BE SHARING THE ROAD’

Cyclists send message

Ride of Silence aimed at alerting motorists to watch for bikers on road

By Katrina Koerting

   DANBURY — Though no words were spoken on the ride, the message of the nearly 40 cyclists gathered was clear: “Share the road.” 

 Thus begins the lead article in today's NewTimes.  While it is true that too many motorists are very inconsiderate of cyclists, I don't think it inappropriate to remind cyclists of a few things as well.  

For example motorists are not the only ones who need to remember to share the road.  There have been many occasions when I've come upon groups cyclists riding in a pack, hogging  the road.  Passing them is difficult and often dangerous for the cyclist.  When a car is coming, they need to ride in single file.  

Also, cyclists need to remember that they too must obey the rules of the road.  That means stopping at stop signs and traffic lights and granting the right of way where appropriate.  They can't just toss out the rules because they might delay them or inconvenience them.  All wheeled vehicles are obligated to follow the law. 

Courtesy and consideration goes both ways.  Let's all be aware of each other so no one gets hurt. Fini!

The-state-of-the-yard address

You know how the president is required by the Constitution to deliver a State of the Union address every year?  Well, I've been doing pretty much the same thing except it's not the Union that concerns me.  It's my yard. So here's the run down since my return from Florida.

 Jobs done:
1. Branches and leaves that fell or blew back into yard over the winter are pretty much cleaned up.
2. Lawn tractor and mower started up without any problem and first mowing is done.

Yet to do:
1. Blow those dangling seeds that come off of oak trees off the driveway and front porch.
2. Clean out gutters that are clogged with those same seeds.
3. Pickup and spread two yards of bark mulch.
4. Prep garden area for flower plantings.
5. Start cutting up fallen trees and limbs in back woods to add to firewood pile.
6.  Prune all dead stuff from Rhododendrons from winter kill.
7. Patch cracks in driveway.

That should do it.  The rest is just keeping up with the mowing and pruning.

I'm Baaaack!

This is the longest I've ever gone between blogs but now I'm back.  We've  been in Naples, FL for the past couple of weeks enjoying the very hot weather.

While in Naples we hosted another couple and managed to stay very busy.  One day we visited the Corkscrew Sanctuary.  Another day we visited Naples Botanical Gardens.  Other times we toured old Naples and on yet another evening we went to the beach for sunset.

All of the things we did and much of what we saw are chronicled on my website which I invite you to visit.  View the pictures or click on the photo slide show links to see it all on my website georgeswebpage.com

I'll post another piece with the next few days.  Topic?  To be determined.

It's MAY!

It's a new month and one of my favorites as trees and flowers slowly wake up from a long winter and a chilly spring. 

To learn more about the month of May, click here georgeswebpage.com/almanac

Have a great month.

Peaceful demonstration or rioting?

The situation in Baltimore has prompted a great deal of emotion. On one side you have those very upset over what they regard as police abuse and therefore taking their feelings to the street.  On the other side you have those condemning the violence that occurred Monday night.

Aggravating both sides are remarks and/or actions of well-known people who represent one or the other extreme.

Take for example an interview I heard on the Today show Tuesday morning.  Savannah Guthrie was interviewing a prominent religious leader.  She kept trying to get the man to say that the violence was unacceptable because there are better ways to deal with the problem.  He wouldn't do it.  He basically condoned what the rioters were doing.  Al Sharpton was basically on board with this.

Therein lies at least part of the problem.  There is a very important difference in my mind between peaceful protest and random violence and rioting.  Community leaders who do or will not recognize this are hurting their communities a great deal.

On an encouraging note, there were a number of residents who decried the rioters and  stood along side the police.  One mother, now famous, even chased her son away from the scene. 

Let's hope there is more of this but let's go further.  Let's take seriously the core concerns of people who see themselves as victims of police aggression.

Thus endeth my rant for the day.

And so it continues...

I recently received the following email message from a friend of mine:

Things I trust more than Hillary Clinton:

* Mexican tap water
* A rattlesnake with a "pet me" sign
* OJ Simpson showing me his knife collection
* A fart when I have diarrhea
* An elevator ride with Ray Rice
* Drinks offered by Bill Cosby
* Michael Jackson's Doctor
* An Obama Nuclear deal with Iran
* A Palestinian on a motorcycle
* Gas station Sushi
* A Jimmy Carter economic plan
* Brian Williams news reports
* Loch Ness monster sightings
* Prayers for peace from Al Sharpton

It seems as Obama's time in office draws to a close, we can now look forward to a year and a half of Hillary-bashing.  This isn't the first message I've received where Hillary Clinton is the target and I'm sure there will be many more.

I'm so looking forward to the political season, aren't you?  The "joking" seems to get more and more nasty.  Much of what I have received or seen elsewhere about Obama has been downright racist.

What's more, overwhelmingly the targets are democrats.  Why is that?  Are republicans simply meaner people?  Well, maybe. But I think a better reason is that the current pack of republican wannabees who seem to think they're suitably presidential are such a laughable stock of buffoons that there simply doesn't need to be anything more to be said.  They're doing fine destroying their own characters on their own.  They sure don't need any more help. 

STOP! POLICE!

STOP! POLICE!
What would you do if you heard those words coming from behind you?  Would you run? duck and cover (that's what I would do)? Turn around and put your hands up? Pull out your iPhone and start recording? Just keep walking?

The right-and smart-thing to do is stop, turn around with your hands clearly in view and wait for further instructions or information.

However, as we have seen over and over on numerous occasions, that is not what many a "person of interest" has done.  Instead, they have run.  The inevitable resulting police chase never turns out well because first there's always someone around recording an out-of-context scenario and second the police and their intended "person of interest" are now on high alert, adrenaline pumping and emotions running high.  We've all seen what happens next on the evening news ad nauseam.

BUT, and this is a big but (no pun intended), why do we see so many incidents of blatant and inappropriate behavior from police?  How much more of this is happening that we don't see?  Is it regional in nature or endemic to all PDs?  What kind of training are police given to address the issue?

Lots of questions, yes, but important ones.   Absolutely, the overwhelming majority of men and women in blue are good, decent, well trained officers of the law.  So in my never-ending quest to make the earth a better place than I found it, here are a few suggestions for police officers across the nation:

1. Make more of an effort to use nonlethal force, i.e. tasers, etc.
2. Assume every single thing you're doing is being video taped whether it be in a dark alley at 2 A.M. or in broad daylight on a heavily traveled city street. 
3. When you and your backup do finally have the guy down and cuffed, stop beating and kicking the crap out of him.  You did your job. You got him.  Let the courts do the rest.
4. Face the fact that you and possibly your fellow officers may be just a tad prejudice.  This is especially true for those of you who fight crime in areas where a large percentage of the perps are minority.
5. You have public relations departments.  Use them. Get them to bombard the media with all the good things you do.  YouTube for example has countless videos of police officers doing extraordinarily good things.  Those things need to make their way onto the evening news and into daily papers.
6. And finally to police administrators: do more to get rid of the bad apples who are spoiling the barrel.  You know how the public is always screaming about getting bad teachers out of the schools?  Well the same holds true for police.  Get the bad ones out of uniform. 

Tough to do?  Yes.  Easy for a 'civilian' like me to sit here and say what you should do? Undoubtedly.  But, still.  The police do not deserve the bad press they're receiving so if there's something here that can turn the tide of bad feeling then it's worth the criticism I may or may not face.

Good luck...and remember, nothin's easy!

Want to be a farmer? I didn't think so.

I'm reading a book entitled "Some Luck" by Jane Smiley.  It's about a family of Iowan farmers and it covers a period of about 25 years. 

There are a number of themes that thread their way through the book i.e. self reliance, loyalty, individuality, struggle and hardship, the value and rewards of hard work,  but one of the most revealing to me is that dealing with the trials and tribulations of farming. 

It's amazing to me that anyone would want to do it.  Your dependence on the weather alone is enough to make one run for the city or suburbs.  Indeed there are fewer family farms every year-partly due to the rise of large agribusinesses.  It's impossible to compete with them.  But the lure of owning and working your own land is a powerful force and it's especially strong for those who were brought up on farms who just don't want any other kind of life.

I've always had enormous respect for farmers.  When I was a boy I spent part of every summer on my uncle's farm.  He started out as a dairy farmer and later became a chicken farmer.  I would get up every morning with him and follow him around doing the many chores of the farmer.  I actually liked it-especially when he let me drive the tractor!

Farming is an extremely important part of the development of America.  Was a time when the farm was the hub of the community.  In fact my grand daughter is going on a school field trip soon to Sturbridge Village, MA.  Sturbridge Village is set in the 1830s. She will see all kinds of craftsmen doing their work and she will learn that each of them is also a farmer or one who is working long enough at their craft to have enough money to own a farm.  The farm in New England at that time was  everything.

Gone are those days-probably forever-and with them an important piece of American culture. I think that's a sad thing. 

Odds and Ends

1. With warm, sunny weather finally here, I was able to get a lot done in the yard today-with Sadie's help of course.  And it looks as though the weekend is going to be just as fruitful.

2. I just discovered my wife has a book on her Kindle that I'm half way through in hard cover.  Hate when that happens.  Anyone want a free copy of "Some Luck" by Jane Smiley?

3. The workers are finishing up the job we're having done to our house.  One of them is in the driveway vacuuming up some harmless debris that spilled.  Unbelievable.  Neatest crew I've ever seen and they did a great job on newly insulated attic.  Goodbye ice dams (hopefully!) Looking to do energy upgrades on your house? Windows, insulation weatherization stuff like that? Call Dr. Energy Saver 800-328-1081

Dog/Fish Sitting

With Pete, Jen and the boys off to Disney World for school's spring break, we get to care for the two who couldn't go: Sadie and CNPJ (hard to pronounce so we just call it "fish").

Spring is here...and what a mess!

The sun is out, temps are on the rise, the snow is gone and my annual early spring stroll around the yard has been completed. The conclusion?  The usual mess awaits me.  I don't know why I bother spending all that time blowing leaves in the fall.  They're just going to blow back over the winter. 

On top of that,  due to the unusually cold winter, I went into next year's wood supply so now I have to start scouting around for more. 

It's going to be a busy spring...but I don't care. I'm glad it's here.

Home

Home from another great week in Naples.  The weather was perfect.  The gulf water was still a little cool but pool water was bath tub warm.

Since the week just completed seemed to be the spring break for many, the beaches were more crowded than I've ever seen.  Of course that meant the roads were equally busy but none of that interfered with our ability to have a good time.

A week in a warm place after a very bad winter is always welcome but it's especially nice when it's with family.

To see many pictures of the past week, click here and follow the photos link in the navigation bar.
http://georgeswebpage.com

Now it's back to the routine...for about a month. Then it's right back down to Naples for 10 more days. 

Yeah, I know.  It's a tough life.

Indiana's Answer to Everything

Getting tired of all the criticism?  Trying to find a way to silence the bleeding hearts?  Looking for that perfect solution to practice bigotry, racism and discrimination without having to endure the barbs of the far left media?

Look no further than Indiana.  They've found the perfect way to lump it all under one all-inclusive umbrella-religious freedom!

What a neat solution.  Now you can go ahead and discriminate all you want by just calling it your right to observe your religious preferences.  Never mind that the Constitution already guaranteed you that right.  Indiana has simply improved on it. 

We sure have come a long way as a nation, haven't we?!?

Life's little annoyances

Why must getting a simple little prescription refilled require that I get impatient and cross with the doctor's office whose duty it is to get it done?

I needed a refill on eye drops.  The local pharmacy called the doctor's office to arrange this.  A day went by and nothing was done.  I then called the office to follow up.  No one knew what I was talking about. 

I can understand this happening once.  Sometimes these things fall through the cracks. Fine. Fix it and move on.  But in this particular case this is at least the third time it has happened.

As is often the case, the doctor's medical skills are fine.  It's the office that is consistently unreliable and it's not just this particular doctor.  I've found it to be the case in a variety of situations.   Very frustrating. 

Thus endth my rant for the day.

Happy St. Patrick's Day. Top o' the mornin' to you.

May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
the rains fall soft upon your fields
and until we meet again,
may God hold you in the palm of His hand.

Connecticut Science and Engineering Fair

On March 4th I posted a blog the purpose of which was partly to lament the pathetic level of scientific knowledge in the halls of congress not to mention society in general.

I went on to recommend science education be stepped up in our schools.

This morning I saw in the local paper a report about the Connecticut science and engineering fair.  The names of local participants by school and town were listed.  Imagine my disappointment to see not a single student from a Newtown Public school participated.  The public schools from area towns were also under represented if at all.  Students from parochial schools however were well represented-including St. Rose in Newtown. 

I'm glad someone somewhere is taking the issue seriously.  Too bad it isn't our public schools. 

Oh, and don't blame the Core Curriculum.  That's not the problem. 

Book Recommendations

Do you know or have a child who loves science?  If so, here are two books they might like.  One of them is my grandson's. The other is mine.  They're both very interesting.

The first is "Ask A Science Teacher" by Larry Scheckel.  It consists of 250 common questions & answers that many curious kids have.   For example the first question is How Many Cells Are in Your Body?  The questions then range over the entire spectrum of science with the last question being Why Do People Say 'our fate is in the stars'?

This book can certainly be enjoyed by adults too.

The second book is a little different in that the questions are submitted by viewers of the author's website.  The viewers pose questions of hypothetical situations that would probably never happen.  The name of this book is "What If?" by Randall Munroe.

Here are some examples of questions:
What would happen if the earth and all terrestrial objects suddenly stopped spinning but the atmosphere retained its velocity?

What would happen if you tried to hit a baseball pitched at 90% the speed of light?

How fast can you hit a speed bump and live?

How high can a human throw something?

You see what I mean about these questions?  Kind of absurd but it's the answer to each that contains the interesting science so therein lies its value.

Both books are great fun (if you're a science geek). Give them a try.  They're both on Amazon.

Contradiction, Denial, Ignorance

The other day I saw a post on Facebook that showed a U.S. senator giving a speech to his fellow senators.  He was holding a snowball in his hand and the topic of the speech was a general denial of global warming since there he was, holding something that resulted from cold weather.

At just about the same time I received two magazines-National Geographic and the monthly Audubon issue.  The lead article in the National Geographic was "The War on Science".  The Audubon lead article was "Climate Change Hits Home".

First, let's note a slight shift on how scientists are talking about the issue these days.  The use of the term 'Global Warming' is no longer in vogue.  Rather, the preferred term is now 'Climate Change'.

Why the switch?  Because the public in general and politicians in particular misunderstand and therefore use for the wrong purposes the term global warming.

The fact is the globe is warming.  There's no question about it.  So why the especially cold winter in the northeast?  Simply because the warming trend has caused the jet stream to change direction thereby ushering in cold air from Siberia to the northeast U.S.

The National Geographic was especially interesting because the focus included other misunderstandings, i.e. evolution, the moon landing (yes, some still think it was faked), vaccinations and genetically modified food.  Conservative politicians in particular have ranged from doubtful to downright hostile.  Whatever the case, their pronouncements are shrouded in complete ignorance.  Especially troubling are those conservative republicans who serve on the House Science and Technology Committee.  Shouldn't they be better informed than their colleagues or even the public?  One would think so. 

So what's the solution?  Education-pure and simple-starting in kindergarten where I'm headed this afternoon to do my part and then continuing throughout a student's public school career-every day, every year.

Am I hopeful?  What do you think?  With all this emphasis on Common Core these days, not a whole lot of attention is being paid to science.

Sad.  Very sad...but what's worse, it's dangerous.

Attention-Parents (and grand parents)

You know all that effort you've been putting into screening TV programs for safe viewing for your children?  Well, don't think once you've approved the program you're safe.  Now you need to worry about  the commercials.

For example consider the new reality TV program I saw advertised recently on a so-called safe program.  Fortunately none of my grand children were here to see it.  It's called 'Sex Box'.  It's a program that deals with solving couples' marital problems by putting them in an area where they...well, you can guess.

Can you believe it?  The program itself is on another station but the commercial for it is bad enough.

Best bet?  Sign on to Netflix or Amazon Prime or some other streaming service where you can stream safe, commercial free programs.

Here's an even better idea:  turn off the TV.

What happened to good old Mr. Ed and cornflakes commercials??

Birthday greetings-To Me

Today I turn 72 years old.  Herewith a couple of short reflections on this auspicious occasion:

First, I feel great-probably better than ever.  I have an active, productive life and for the most part enjoy everything I do.  And in spite of a few bumps in the road, I am in good health.

Second, because of all those things listed first, I realize every day how lucky I am for everything I have-and don't have.

Were you looking for a few sage words of wisdom by which you can live your own life?  Sorry, you're on your own.