I just returned from a meeting at the Community Center in our little town. We were looking at the facilities as we plan a reception that will be held there. I was once again struck by how well done and usable the Community Cent…
In preparation for the celebration of our nation's birthday, my wife and I have beenwatching some documentaries about the early days of our nation’s birth. I am still mulling over some early impressions from these stories. …
As I've stated many times here and elsewhere, I proudly hail from Appalachia. I was born in Lee County, Kentucky and raised on a farm about 10 miles from the county seat of Beattyville (population of less than 1,000). As the subject of elitism has b…
In a recent conservative radio interview with Representative Jen Kiggans, the hostsuggested that Representative Hakeem Jeffries keep his “cotton-picking” hands off ofthe Virginia redistricting fight. Rep. Kiggans laughed and agreed, …
I grew up in Oklahoma City in the late fifties and sixties. We lived on the Southwest side of our city, which was populated mostly by blue collar light skinned humans. While Native Americans and Latinos were a part of the every…
I grew up in the 60s and 70s, which was the time of what was called the Second Wave of the Women's Movement. There were women in the news who were marching, shouting, burning bras, writing books, and otherwise doing all they could to draw attention …
On my mother’s side of my genetic tree, I come from a long line of short people. Mymaternal grandmother did not make it to 5’. Her many siblings, spread over Butler andMuhlenberg counties in Kentucky, never reached over 5’2&rdq…
I am 76 years old, and I’ll tell you this. I’ve always loved the 4 of July. Growing up in a relatively poor family on the Southside of Oklahoma City, it seemed to me that we didn’t have a lot to cheer about. M…
Ok. I'll admit it. I'm angry and I feel comfortable talking about it to you because mainly I am angry with myself. What I'm angry about is my lack of action; my lack of commitment; my unwillingness to make the necessary sacrifices. A couple of podca…
Starting in High School and continuing over the course of my adult life I have attended more than a few Job Fair/Career Expo events. Sometimes as a job seeker and sometimes representing an entity looking to hire. Most have been informative, occasion…
To show I wasn’t just a stuck-in-his-ways-has-been old man, nor a card-carrying luddite, I asked Claude AI to write a few lines about ageism. Here is what Claude said:“Ageism remains one of the most socially accepted forms of discrimin…
All my life I’ve heard that it’s better to give than receive. But to be honest, there have been times along the way when I wondered if that was really true. I mean, I’ve surely wanted it to be true. …
In 1986, American minister, Robert Fulghum wrote a very popular book titled All I Really Need to Know, I Learned in Kindergarten. It's a lovely little book that conveys the idea that especially in regard to human values, what we were taught back the…
I grew up in a home where anger was the norm. Our father, who was a good man and loved his family, had an anger problem. Easily provoked, his fuse seemed to be perpetually lit, just waiting to burn down. Needless to …
This is a question that seems particularly relevant today. “Truth” appears to have been taken hostage and belittled in the exponential growth of AI-driven social media, political divisiveness, “culture wars”, and mean-spirite…
There was a concept presented to me several years ago about what it means to be in crisis. What I learned was that in many cases, a crisis is equal parts danger and opportunity. Sure, there are some not so great things about to happen but if we chan…
This painting is a depiction of the Camino de Santiago, a pilgrimage taken by thousands of people annually. It was painted by a fellow pilgrim with our guest, Scott Wojahn, and incorporates the words to a song written by him about his journey. Scott…
It’s a difficult and scary time. Lies, accusations and blaming are the currency of political discourse. Politicians seem more intent on winning at all costs rather than governing.Gaslighting is common, telling us we didn’t experience w…
The term Toxic Masculinity is attributed to Shepherd Bliss who was a leader of a men’s movement in the early 1980s in North America. He, along with others like poet and author Robert Bly, provided workshops, literature and self-care group…
On the very first level of ideas, Christian Nationalism makes some sense, doesn't it? Surely, we can understand how people of deep faith would desire that the values that they hold so dear could become the norm in our country and maybe even be a for…
Exploracast has been in existence now for over a year with around 28 podcasts already recorded and available for listening! With topics ranging from civil conversation to thoughts on Mr. Rogers to the important values that seem to be in short supply…