Commentary

Memories most excited by those wonderful smells

June 18, 2025   ·   0 Comments

Sitting in a parking lot on a Saturday morning, my senses were overwhelmed by scents from several fast food joints. It triggered a memory and took me back.

Stupid is as stupid does is our modern MO

“Lately things seem extraordinarily stupid,” says Canada’s leading environmentalist David Suzuki. Lately? It’s kind of funny that we are at our peak of knowledge and technological process, yet we’re dumb as posts in some ways.

Our parenting skills alone did not get us this far

How did we get here? No, that’s not a rhetorical question. As a tail-end Baby Boomer I flip through the blank pages of my parent ing handbook to reveal … nothing.

Humans and bananas, a few chromosomes apart!

We like to think we’re one of a kind, unique creatures. We are different, but we do share similarities with our counterparts, from all walks of life around the globe. Not only do we share human traits, our internal makeup is alost identical to a host of other biological, living things on Earth.

‘Brotherhood’ is a mighty powerful thing

I never had a brother and often wonder what that would have been like. My older sister and I were almost eight years apart so for most of my childhood, we weren’t close. And, in those days, having your little brother tag along just wasn’t cool.

Looking back we enjoyed the best decades ever

Growing up today is much different than a generation ago. We not only “survived” our childhoods, fraught with danger and stupidity – but thrived. For me, a late “Boomer,” there are fewer days ahead than behind. Instead of regrets of what may be and a somewhat curtailed life, there’s been a lot of “what was” back in the day. And boy were those days fun!

Let’s not grow old but continue to ripen!

This isn’t the world I grew up in, and it’s not exactly the same place as the one I raised my children in. The pendulum – the constant movement of time – never stops to wait for us. We are often left, stranded on the platform, waiting for the next train. And yet, the extraordinary experiences we amass as we age give us real clarity of the past, present and future. We become almost sage-like if you will. At least that’s what I tell my family members. And then the obvious similarities with Yoda pop up!

Do we appreciate every second we have?

We all know that time is fleeting, and our life – measured in years – is but a brief experience. Jim Croce once pondered whether he could “save time in a bottle.” Nice idea, but we’re not that lucky. And quite ironic, since the song – Time in a Bottle – was released after he died in a plane crash in 1973. If only Jim, and the rest of us, could find a way to make the days last forever.

Maybe the young ones are paying attention

We wise adults often remark how the younger generation has a short attention span, blaming “electronic-everything.” But maybe it’s not the length of their attention, but rather providing something worth focusing on. Sure, there’s no shortage of issues these days – more than ample opportunity to raise eyebrows. But the world landscape, even for seasoned pros like parents, is a lot to absorb. It’s almost too much.

Hope is one thing that keeps us moving

Martin Luther once said that everything that is done in the world is done by hope. Sometimes we have to call upon rather unscientific methods to deal with modern life. We really on our instinct; follow our hearts; muster up our faith, and always have hope. For many, hope is all they have.

Next Page »