To paraphrase Katt Williams, you don't expect to get enduring life lessons from a children's book with flying dragons on the cover.
But when you're young and all stories are fresh and new, sometimes things you read will sink in and re-emerge years later when circumstances are right.
This is a story about how I learned how to come to terms with the question, "Where are you from?".
When I was young, I used to love to read, especially science fiction and fantasy.
I hadn’t been in the habit of reciting the Pledge of Allegiance since elementary school, and unless you are a politician, a teacher, or a scout leader, you probably haven’t either.
But a few years ago, I joined the ABQ Speaks Up Toastmasters club and was surprised to find the club says the Pledge of Allegiance at the start of every meeting.
Reciting the Pledge of Allegiance on a regular basis again had me wondering about this peculiar political ritual.
Every spring, the Banff Mountain Film Festival and the Telluride Mountainfilm Festival arrives in town. Here are some of the most incredible outdoor adventures put on film:
Those of us on the far side of fifty know that you start having to do all kinds of extra things to keep your health, things you never realized you'd have to do.
One of those things is a colonoscopy. If you have had one, you know it's not something you look forward to.
Because both my father and my grandfather had colon cancer, I've had to develop a mental approach to colonoscopies which I wanted to share.
The secret is: Colonoscopies are your friend:
When I was in high school and first learned to drive, I was excited about driving. Learning to drive meant freedom. I didn't care about how much it cost, and I didn't know about the environmental impact of driving.
But as I've gotten older, cars no longer appeal as much as they used to. These days I have a car, but I prefer to walk, ride my bike, or take the bus as much as possible.
Forty percent of Americans over the age of 12 have listened to a podcast at least once, according to podcast research from this year. Last year I joined this group by buying a tiny mp3 player.
I thought it would encourage me to work out more often. Actually, I didn't end up going to the gym more often, but it did change my life for the better, and I want to explain how, as well as talk about how it seems to be a good fit with what we do in Toastmasters.
Most of us think nothing of buying bottled drinking water.
Cheap, ubiquitous, and healthy – what's wrong with bottled water?
But consider this:
Who’s feeling rich?
We have a problem. It's clear that global climate change is upon us, but what do we do about it?
Finding out which actions work best to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is a challenge.
There are plenty of suggestions on a macro level, and even on a personal level: Switch to a fuel-efficient vehicle! Plant some trees! Fly less! Bring your own plastic bags to the grocery store!?
Back in December, my dryer broke, so I called a repairman. While he was working on the dryer, I was surprised that the first topic he brought up was fake news and how you couldn’t rely on any source for real news anymore.
I thought, "What happened to chit-chatting about the weather?"
I was hoping to get my machine repaired; I wasn't expecting a discussion about the nature of reality at 8 in the morning with a stranger.
Do you like to play board games? Or are you one of those people who can't stand board games?
I love board games, but I can understand if you hate them. If you grew up in the 60s and 70s, when you think of board games, you probably think of Candyland, Monopoly, Life, or Risk. And then you remember it being boring and awful, which is why you haven't looked at board games since then.
But just as computers have evolved in the last thirty years, board games have improved dramatically.
