Empty Pegs: a gymnastics story, part II — I’ve said it. You’ve said it. We’ve all said it. To a child, to a co-worker, to a friend, to ourselves. Hard work makes all the difference Hard work is different from the money that buys good equipment, top coaching, transportation, and hours in big gyms. …

He’s doubling down: getting away from people he can’t trust — Have you ever met someone you listen to for the quality nuggets while ignoring the crazy? I remember my wife’s uncle, a tough-guy, ex-New York City cop. On my first Thanksgiving dinner with her family, he and I quietly stood up against a loud-mouthed boyfriend. The boyfriend was prattling on…

Empty pegs: a gymnast’s story, part I — The walls of old New England homes are stuffed. Pictures memorialize family and generations gone before. Paintings show places traveled. Pegs near doors hold the hats, scarves, and jackets that protect us from the outside world. Some pegs hold things that are heavy: coats dripping from winter’s blast or bags…

A History of Misery Not Always Shared — The Misery History Show allows every individual and group to explain how THEY are underappreciated, overabused, and deserving of special accommodation. The producers of the show want everyone to know a critical thing: You are right. You have been taken advantage of. Go ahead and be unhappy. Today’s episode begins…

It’s coming…ready or not — We are approaching the end of the Affirmative Action era. Last year the conservative super-majority in the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. In June of 2023, it will do the same for Affirmative Action in college admissions. US colleges receiving federal aid will lose the right to use their…

An open letter to a brother lost to a gun — Dear Little Brother, I am sorry to tell you that gun violence is worse in America today than when you were shot dead a decade ago.

Two emotional. One practical. — Mom called to say she was dying. I have pancreatic cancer. I’ve known for two years. There’s nothing to be done, and I’m going to be gone within days or weeks. I was not completely shocked because Mom had behaved differently over the previous year. …

Yes, my son, your America is a very different place — Where were you during the Boston Marathon Bombing? It was ten years ago. We were at the race with our young children, a couple hundred yards from the explosions. For my young son, that day marked the moment he became a modern American. It was then that he learned to…

As horrible as things sound, there’s a glimmer of hope — A friend reached out as the second member of the Tennessee House of Representatives was being expelled. He asked Can you explain Tennessee to me? Me and my buddies from Memphis had already gone round and round on the latest news: the removal of rival lawmakers…just because they could. Most…