Author Archives: site author

Many years ago I saw a video of a man who wanted to catch a monkey in a tree. He wasn’t agile enough to catch the monkey so he took a stick and dug a small hole under the tree. The opening was narrow and it was wider underneath, like a cave. While the monkeyContinue reading “Freedom”

Once again I’m going to reference my old roommate Bill. One of his favorite expressions  has been “tough break”. Any time something unfortunate happened to someone Bill would say “tough break for………” Sometimes he would say they were a “victim of the tough break”. It’s been used so much that it was shortened to “VOTB”.Continue reading “VOTB”

I’m coming up on the third anniversary of writing my blog. I’ve covered several subjects. The subject I’ve written about most, is my journey to find my happiness from within myself in some way or another. I tried to find a word that captures this concept, but didn’t come up with one. Therefore, I decidedContinue reading “Intrafelism”

I love cheeseburgers, a lot. I’ve been eating them ever since I can remember. I always eat them the same way, with nothing on it except the meat, cheese and bun. It seems a simple order to get right, no extras. However, it isn’t normal, so the burger often comes with toppings added. I’ve foundContinue reading “Toppings”

I’ve mentioned my good friend Ed in some of my other posts. We often see things differently and he helps broaden my horizons. Several years ago he sent a picture from the website Astronomy Picture of the Day. I was so impressed I made it part of my routine to view the page before startingContinue reading “A Starry Night”

The GoodBye Yellow Brick Road album by Elton John has been my favorite since I started listening to it in the 1970s. I always liked the title song, GoodBye Yellow Brick Road. I just assumed it was about a relationship gone wrong and a guy leaving a girl. A few years ago I saw anContinue reading “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”

Every good Texan knows the saying, Remember the Alamo. When I think about  it of course I remember the famous stand the Texas revolutionaries made and the battle that happened there. I also think about the coaching secret I used on my players. I always told my players what I wanted them to do. NeverContinue reading “Remember”

One of my favorite movies is The Electric Horseman. The stars are Robert Redford and Jane Fonda. Redford plays a retired rodeo cowboy who finds himself facing trouble. Fonda tells him she doesn’t want to see him get hurt. He responds, “I’ve been hurt. I still get up.” This statement sums up my twelfth andContinue reading “Still Standing”

Of course everyone knows how to finish the sentence partially stated in the title, try try again. In my first post on the subject of resilience, Rebound, I mentioned that the best rebounders aren’t always the tallest players. They are the ones who want the ball the most. Their desire leads to persistence. Tenacity, determinationContinue reading “If First You Don’t Succeed…”

Recently central Texas experienced an unusual ice storm. We get one every few years, but this was different. A thunderstorm moved through very early one morning when the temperature was just below freezing. That caused ice accumulations on elevated surfaces, which included tree limbs. The ice was three quarters of an inch thick. The resultContinue reading “Bowing”