Observations

General observations I make over the course of a day.

Father

Don't wait until it is too late to take the car keys away from a parent

I still live in the same house where I grew up. It's a two-family house and we've always rented out the top floor. About fifteen years ago, instead of having to deal with tenants anymore, I decided to move up there with my life partner, Erin.

Observations

Halloween: Stay off my lawn!

It has become a tradition that my lovely partner, Erin, hands out candy on Halloween and I, being the loving, supportive partner, sit in the adjoining room and keep a count on how many kids come. I even invested in a tally counter clicker thing last year so I wouldn’

Observations

Knowing when to hold 'em and knowing when to fold 'em

I have recently rediscovered my passion for playing poker. Poker and I have had a love/hate relationship for over 20 years now. As with many poker players my age, I really discovered the game while watching the 2003 World Series of Poker (WSOP) on ESPN. The WSOP is held

Observations

Is there such a thing as a "safe space"?

Certainly, you feel safe in this room, don’t you? No – I, most certainly, do not. This was the conversation I had with my therapist a couple of months ago. I forget the context of the exact conversation. I may have been telling her how I was anxious and nervous

Personal

Yet another loss

As one of my relatives in Canada texted me today, “So sorry, Tony, for yet another loss.” Yet another loss.  My favorite aunt on my father’s side passed away this week. She was (is?) my father’s sister. She was 87. I am not sure what, specifically, she died

Observations

Nature vs. Nurture

Maybe you’ve heard the saying, “A zebra can’t change its stripes.”  I use it all the time. It means – to me, anyway – that no matter how much you may think someone has changed their behavior, there will be an occasion where that individual will revert back to their

Observations

All work and no play

I constantly hear people talk about working long hours and not taking any vacations for so-and-so years. They wear it like a badge of honor. I was one of those people, too. But now it has got me thinking – is that something to be proud of? I worked my ass

Observations

Happy Birthday??

Do you remember what age you were when you started dreading birthdays? Maybe for some of you it has never happened. Maybe you still look forward to your birthdays. I'm happy for you. Maybe for some people they enjoyed birthdays when they were younger, dreaded them in mid-life,

Observations

Savior complex: You cannot save everyone, save yourself first

I think I heard the term savior complex for the first time over ten years ago. I shrugged it off as that is not me and haven’t thought about it once in the years since. My thought process was that I heard the word “savior” and thought the overall

Techniques

Imposter syndrome

My battle with mental illness has taught me that there is a term for basically everything. Tired and sore all over? You have fibromyalgia. Do you have too much energy or are too hyper? You have ADHD. Do you wonder why you are so moody? You are probably bipolar. Are

Observations

The dangers of inertia

in·er·tia 1. a tendency to do nothing or to remain unchanged. 2.PHYSICS a property of matter by which it continues in its existing state of rest or uniform motion in a straight line, unless that state is changed by an external force."the power required to

Observations

Dates which live in infamy

This month marked the 22nd anniversary of the horrific events of 9/11/01. Where does the time go? Ask any teenager what they thought of 9/11 and you will be ill prepared to hear them say they were not even born. Because, for most of us who were

Observations

The beauty of sound

I’ve been going to the local basketball courts every morning for the last year or so for a couple hours each day. I started by shooting 100 three-pointers every day and tracking my progress. One day I decided to shoot a second 100 shots. Now I am to the

Observations

Ignorance is bliss

Next time somebody calls you ignorant, say thank you.

Observations

Making your dash count

The Dash is a lovely poem about making life count.

Observations

Be honest with yourself

Honesty is such a lonely word, and mostly what I need from you now.

Observations

Dawn Chorus: What we can learn from birds

Dawn chorus is a term used for the sound of the birds singing in the pre-dawn hours.

Observations

If you could know exactly when you are going to die, would you?

I've had this debate numerous times on numerous occasions with different friends.

Troubled souls

Sticks and stones

These are far different times we live in today than any generation of human beings has ever had to endure. It is easier than ever to communicate. It is easier than ever to judge and criticize. It is easier than ever to hurt people’s feelings.

Observations

Positive reinforcement

I filmed myself shooting three-point shots numerous times in short segments. I surprised myself by realizing how much I enjoyed reviewing the videos afterwards.

Observations

Ignoring jerks

This burly, middle-aged construction worker, wearing a reflective vest, continues to mumble at me as he angrily taps the screen of the self checkout register, “I guess you own the world, right?

Observations

Deep Sea Creatures

“We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard

Observations

Did you have fun today?

There are certain things that I say to my girlfriend every day. “I love you.” “I am so grateful for another day with you.” “I am so thankful for you.” “Everyday with you is a gift and I don’t take it for granted.”

Mother

Grief is just love with no place to go

“Grief, I’ve learned, is really just love. It’s all the love you want to give, but cannot.

Mother

Buried in sand

And it got me thinking. Do I really want to get better? Have I grown so accustomed to feeling this grief and pain that the idea of living any other way now scares me, or is not even appealing to me?