Who Is Worthy?

There is a growing line of folks seeking a 'handout' from me. At this Christmas Season the Salvation Bell Ringers greet me at every store entrance. There is an increase of inner city panhandlers gazing at me at each intersection. There is a constant stream of return mailing-labels tugging at my heart to send back a donation...surely I have a few bucks for heart, cancer and Alzheimer's charities. Of course, I answer three or four telephone 'pleas for pennies' from Rachel who wishes to reduce my credit card debt, the police, firemen and sheriff's organizations and a number of veteran groups. For 'only' $19 a month, I can help Shriner's, St. Jude,assist wounded vets, save dogs and provide clean drinking water...that's $19 times nine Needs. As I've told my wife on numerous occasions, "Be careful writing those 'giveaway' checks, we will run out of money before there is a run out of causes."

On top of those possible 'givings,' I tithe to my Lord. Note that I said, TO MY LORD. The bulk of my tithing goes to my Church...but there might be a subtraction for a special need or cause as I determine when reacting to my inner-voice. I'm sure every Preacher reading this would be quick to quote scripture, which would point out my error in reasoning.  Some would say that inner-voice is Jesus speaking to me. I refuse to put my choice on the back of Christ.

Actually, I've had Preachers and friends suggest to me that I should not give money to those corner panhandlers. I've done research and find that 1-in4 of these beggars are vets, 80% of those collected monies go to food and other homeless people in need. I suppose 20% of the money I hand out my auto window goes towards alcohol and drugs and that's sad. Oh, some of the money I give to church and other organizations go towards 'things' that disappoint.

If you dig bottom lines. Then dig this...my money my choice.

Rock Throwers versus Baseball Throwers

Some Central American immigrants seeking political asylum entry into the United States become frustrated and begin throwing rocks at border guards. Border guards respond by firing tear gas at the demonstrators. President Trump gave the okay to "shoot" those rock throwers. Of course, if any of these immigrants are successful entering the USA, they will likely be hired at minimum wages by hotel corporations and the farming industry, which will be ignored by authorities because its profitable for 'the man.'

Twenty-six percent of Major League Baseball players hail from Latin American countries and many of them and their minor league counterparts are in the USA making millions of dollars as the result of unseemly and underhanded, if not illegal dealings by major league clubs. These shenanigans are under investigation and soon may expose the ugly underbelly of our National Pastime. Those same border guards who fire tear gas at the immigrants at the Mexican border were likely in Dodgers Stadium this past summer cheering Yasiel Puig who entered this country under very dark and mysterious circumstances with a stench of underground-crimal illegality.

Perhaps a good money-making idea would to place baseballs in the hands of those illegals at the Mexican border and have the border guards aim radar guns at those folks instead of tear-gas guns. Anybody with a fast ball over 90mph gets preferential asylum treatment...and an agent.

Folks Down Yonder

I have always been a tad bit smitten by Southern life and it's notable charm. I am not alone claiming a fascination with American Southern history. Matter-of-fact, The South is the most studied region of our Nation.

Life down yonder is different than that in the North and surely expressions in language is a poignant example. Y'all listen up, I'm 'fix'in' to explain. In The South it's....a 'pocketbook' not a purse. One uses a 'sweeper' not a vacuum. If you'ins are 'fix'in' to shop get one of them 'buggy's' not a cart. One 'might-could' go the the Derby or 'might could' go to the stock car races...'might could' is the 'option.' But I'm-a ponderin' stayin' home a fixin to watch them 'Wildcats' play Loo-uh-vul. Sumbody hand me that 'changer' or as Northerners' say: the remote.

I suppose (reckon) I got my first taste of the South when Grandpa E.V. Bennett talked a great deal about his old Kentucky home back in Beaver Dam near Central City, Kentucky. I do remember the first time I drove through Kentucky and how disappointed I was noticing that the grass NOT BLUE.

As part of a 'Snowbird' migration, I spend some time with Kentucky friends in the Deep South. Fact just this morning one of those fine Southern ladies with whom I attend Bible Study sent me a video clip Christmas jingle. It was three butts bent over passing gas to the tune of Jingle bells. Oh buddy boy, 'That's What I Like About The South.'
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   What I Like About The South

A Good Reconnect

The man hired me for my first high school basketball varsity coaching position, which was in Mason City, Illinois in the year 1964. The 'man' was Superintendent, Ralph Helton. Recently, the former administrator and coach became Facebook friends. The last time I visited with Ralph was a sad ocassion when we bid farewell to a mutual wonderful friend, Gene Blessman of Mason City.

Back in 1963, I had finished my first year teaching and coaching in Assumption, Illinois where I was an assistant coach in football and basketball and head baseball coach. I longed for that coaching combination of head coach in both 'roundball' sports and that year the Mason City job came open. I applied and got an interview. I finished second and you know the old adage about 'coming close and the scoring in Horseshoes.'

As luck would have it the Mason City position came open the second consecutive year and I telephoned Superintendent Helton. He said, "If you're interested in the position, it's yours. You were our second choice the first time around and I will personally drive to Assumption with the contract for your signature. Naturally, I was excited to share the news with Gerry and inspite of the fact that she had made incredible friends those two years in Assumption, she knew this day would come and like the perfect coach's wife she was 'on board.'

Gerry told me to call Superintendent Helton to inquire what date he would be coming and who might come with him so she could have a luncheon prepared. I called Ralph with Gerry's message and he said that would not be necessary. I explained to my new superintendent that this was not a fight I was going to have and suggested he not wage it either. Ralph and his friend, Bob Ingersoll had lunch in Assumption with Mason City's new basketball / baseball coach / athletic director and the coach's wife. My three seasons in Mason City was the best break I ever had in my 39-year coaching career and I had many great breaks.

I had great talent and dedicated players in Mason City. I won a lot of ball games and Gerry made more friends...she even got the attention of a few school board members...not sure they were her friends but it was all good.

Ralph Helton, I thank you again. And this time I thank you for reaching out on Facebook.

Are We Spirit Lifters?

Nearly ten thousand basketball fans attended the six sessions, four day Decatur Team Soy Capital Turkey Tournament Thanksgiving week. The Saturday night Championship game between 4-A Bolingbrook high school and the 3-A Springfield Southeast powerhouse teams was a prep tourney title match for the ages. Bolingbrook defended its two-year hold on the Championshi coming from behind and winning 90-88 on a buzzer-beater shot. The contest was highlighted by arguably the two most exciting high school guards in Illinois. Bolingbrook' Joseph Yesufu tossed in 32-points and was named Tournament MVP for the second consecutive year. Southeast guard, Terrion Murdix's electrifying play brought fans to their feet as he tallied 25-points. Look for these two All-State guards to take their respective teams deep in playoff runs.

Upon my retirement from a 39-year coaching career, I agreed to direct this tournament. Seventeen years later, I continue to find the challenge personally rewarding bringing talented players and well coached basketball teams to Decatur for what has become a premier downstate prep basketball tournament and a warm homecoming event for many Decatur families.

I have hundreds of conversational engagements during the week long event and come away with one specific observation: Sometimes my day is made particularly BETTER because of certain people. Those reading my words know that feeling. You too can name folks that have the unique engagement style that causes your day to be brighter and more cheerful due to their contact. They may offer a word of encouragement or give a compliment. Then there are those people who are wonderful story tellers with exceptional recall. Perhaps it's a person's insistence on details when they ask that mundane question, "How are you doing? How's the family." They really want to hear particulars and suddenly you are lifted in spirit.

I frequently question my own way of conversing and interacting with others. I need to make sincere attempts to answer the question>>How do others feel after visiting with me?

How Shall We Respond

Unfortunately an unpleasant an disconcerting trend in high school athletic events continues. I reference the more common occurrence of violence on the periphery of events and actual fighting between participants and fans at the events.

The Champaign school district administration had to respond to a student's shooting death, which happened on a football game night. Their response was to move all Champaign high schools' football games to Saturday daytime hours. I'm sure they also beefed up security. The Champaign leadership also felt a need to cancel their scheduled inaugural Thanksgiving boys' basketball tournament with no plans to reinstate.

Just last night at the Alton Thanksgiving Classic a fight broke out between Alton and Riverview Gardens players with just seconds remaining in the contest and Alton leading by a wide margin.The administration canceled that game causing both teams to forfeit and announced the remaining tournament games for today (Saturday) November 24 will also be canceled. This results in 8-teams being denied participation in the basketball tournament.

These decisions, of course are easily second-guessed and I choose not to do that but instead suggest that every circumstance would perhaps call for different responses. Speaking generally, I will offer a personal opinion since I have the responsibility of directing the Decatur 8-team boys' Thanksgiving Basketball Tournament.  If the social climate is such that it would merit cancellation, I would first pursue the possibility of suspending any player who acted in an unsportsman-like manner but then I would suggest to the administration to consider 'locking out' spectators except for the media and continue playing the games. Why should good student-athletes be punished for others' bad choices and behavior?

PS. I'll bet the games behind closed doors would likely be better played in a more 'pure form.'

Makes A Fella Wonder

Very interesting Thanksgiving morning television viewing options. The Macy's Day Parade never 'floats' my boat. Then there is the four hour Godfather movies marathon featuring some horrific bloody killing scenes or 'The Cheerleader Murders.' If those (difficult to comprehend) 'Thanksgiving Day' choices are not head-scratching and disgusting enough, we could watch the President's teleconference call to our military troops as he tells them how wonderful he performs as their Commander-In-Chief. He stopped short explaining that he hasn't visited them because they're stationed in dangerous places and he fears for his safety whereas Mar-a-Lago's golf course sand traps are pretty tough and challenging.

I think I may end up watching the Hallmark Christmas movies.

My Thanksgiving Wish For You

May the Thankful attitude of this day be in our thoughts throughout the year...each and every day.

May those you hold dear to your heart be safe, healthy and happy and may you share with them often.

May our God Bless you and keep you in His comforting and omnipotent Grace.

...and may you know that I appreciate you and our interactions on this 'thing' called Facebook whether you side with my opinions or find them off-putting.

Happy Thanksgiving.

The Turkey Has Company

Since the Pilgrims and Wampanoag Indians broke bread and signed a peace treaty in 1621, there has been endless stories perpetuated over the centuries regarding our American Thanksgiving traditions. One certain tradition is the American President proclaiming a 'pardon' for our infamous bird...the Thanksgiving 'Turkey.'

We should not be surprised that our current President who is fast surpassing all previous Presidents in every imaginable category, once again outdistance all POTUS before him. This Thanksgiving week 2018, President Donald Trump pardoned the Turkey, sparing its life, then pardoned The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia who had a journalist from the USA murdered and dismembered and then pardoned his daughter for doing the same government email thing on her private server as did Hillary Clinton, for which Trump thought was a criminal offense. You gotta love this guy.

In all fairness the Turkey didn't deserve to die and Trump's daughter and Hillary did dumb things with email servers but hardly were those things criminal offenses. That leaves the ordered killing and cutting into pieces a man's body. This Presidential 'wink' and pardon of the Saudi Prince is shameful. Once again this President erodes the moral authority America as he kicks our nation in the groin diminishing our Democratic values, our human rights' values and Judea-Christian.  principles. Sadly, our Congress continues to be complicit and the Evangelicals, who speak out about a child being murdered in the womb chooses to remain silent when their President approves and buddies up to murderers the likes of the Crown Prince, Putin and Kim Jung Un.

America under this President puts money ahead of America's tradition of goodness...plain a simple. What kind lines up behind such a leader?

49th Annual Decatur/Team Soy Capital Turkey Tourney

Stephen Decatur Middle School (previously Decatur high school) will be the site of the 49th Annual Decatur / Team Soy Capital Thanksgiving boys basketball tournament, which tips off tonight at 6:00PM when #2 rated Bolingbrook faces newcomer Dunlap. The second game on tap finds Decatur MacArthur hosting Harvey-Thornton.

Additional highlights this evening will be recognizing two Decatur 'Heroes.' Retired Decatur Herald-Review Executive sports' writer, Mark Tupper and retired Millikin University women's basketball coach, Lori Kerans. They will be honored by the tournament committee for their respective illustrious careers.

Also being recognized is Decatur MacArthur graduate and former 'Generals' basketball player and current professional basketball player for the Washington Generals, Anthony Smith, Jr. The Washington Generals are the traveling opponent of the Harlem Globetrotters.

I'll be in the SDMS gym from 3:30pm-to-10:30pm because...everybody has to be 'someplace!'

What's Next Lord?

Excerpt from book: 'Angels on My Journey...'

It would be difficult to deny that most leaders possess a degree of personal ego, which translates into the ability to 'intentionally' take responsibility and successfully guide a process or project. That said, unbridled ego can derail the effort.

I have observed many coaches retired from successful careers only to struggle discovering the next chapter God may have for them to embrace but instead they fall victim to a lesser role of second-guesser of their successor. It is sad because it reduces their earned status.

I am grateful that I have always been able to walk away with minimal regrets regarding my tenure left behind. As an athlete, I was schooled by my father and mentors to compete with all out effort and when the game ends walk away. Those many years I coached, I often reminded my players that the greatest feeling in sport was to lay totally exhausted in the dressing room after having just won...the second greatest feeling in sport was to lay totally exhausted in the dressing room having just lost the game.

When I walked away from the coaching game I sought other meaningful challenges. I focused on staying active. Finding a cause that ultimately makes others 'feel good' has always motivated me. Jesus tells us to encourage one another and build one another up, I just feel better when I celebrate another's good fortune because I know the pain of near-misses.

For me personally, I did not come to 'know myself' in victory or defeat but in my relentless striving.

School Buses Begot Snow Days

Snow has been an issue this 2018, Central Illinois fall. I recall our first sight of the white stuff occurred on October 12 and it appears that an area record amount for November will be recorded.
Our middle school Spanish teaching daughter bemoaned the calling off of school one day this week sighting that having these earlier in the year snow days points to extending attendance days into June.

My experience with school and snow provides an interesting philosophical transformation. I will not tell you that I walked to school three mile to and from and uphill both directions. I will tell you that during more 12-years East St. Louis public school's attendance, I never rode a school bus except to after school extra-curricular events. Grades 1-to-3 found me walking 3/4 of a mile to Charles L. Manners School. Grades 4-&-5 saw me trudging a 1/2 mile to Woodrow Wilson School and my sixth through tenth grades years, I rode city buses greater distances. By the time I reached my high school junior year, I either drove a family car, rode with a friend or hitchhiked. Never a school bus to pick me up in the morning and deliver me home in the afternoon.

Never was School called off for a snow event. I can't recall a specific instance when I stayed home from school because of a snow storm...I'm sure there was a time when my mother said, "You're not going to school today because there's too much snow." Just don't recall. I do recall staying home to watch World Series games back in those years because those games were played in the afternoon.

So here we are in the public school days of 2018. One camp may claim the belief that society today is more caring for and aware of  public school children and their parents' NEEDS. Then, I would imagine many folks perhaps think this school transportation thing is an expensive crutch.

I do know this: 1) The school administrator who makes the early morning decision to proclaim a 'snow day' cannot win. That individual is going to catch hell from parents and or local merchants either way.
And know this> It is a big deal, this school bus thing. In fact, I believe no longer is public education's focus on 'reading, writing and 'rithmatic,' but instead parents' greatest concern is about the Three 'B's'
...Beans, Buses and Basketball. "Is my kid getting a good lunch at low cost; Is the Bus picking my little ones up at the doorstep and is my kid getting a fair chance from the coach?

Best Be Thankful For The City

I am writing this blog Thursday, November 15, @5:30pm as I drink coffee at the Water Street McDonald's in Decatur, Illinois. I just dropped my wife off at Grace Methodist Church for her 'staff relations' committee meeting. I'll wait here for a phone call to pick her up. Might be a spell; those Methodist can beat the dickens out of conversations. Kinda always envied my Catholic friends growing up because they seemed to get down to the nitty gritty and hit the road.

Driving to and from the Church on a week day rush hour traffic time, one cannot help but notice the plethora of autos leaving Decatur from various work places as thousands of folks head for suburban homes in Forsyth, Moroa, Mt. Zion and numerous other satellite burgs. All have a story and all have personal struggles and joys. I hope they pause at times to think how fortunate they are to have that nearby city with all kinds of business and industrial employment opportunities. From a personal experience, I recall many who lived in those peripheral villages outside my hometown of East St. Louis who seldom expressed kind words about our city but often found fault with it.

My wife and I grew up in that East Side river city but spent 39 years in more homogeneous pristine communities during my coaching career. All those towns had wonderful people and offered many positive amenities. We could not have asked for a better place to raise teenage children than that of Jacksonville, Illinois. With our children married and retirement from coaching on the horizon (20-years ago) it was time for both of us to return to those experiences and feelings of yesterday. We needed to scratch the itch and return to our roots of a more diversified, heterogeneous and 'yes' sometimes tumultuous environment....The City.

Decatur is a good city with solid hard working and caring people. For me it's like an old pair of shoes...It fits!

Yep, I hope the folks in those hundreds of autos heading out of Decatur to homes on the perimeter pause once in awhile and appreciate the city because should it 'fold' they lose big time. I know of what I speak, I witnessed it first hand.

The City
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Utb2EQM03oM

Going The Distance For a Kid

Yesterday morning at the request of a Decatur Middle School athletics director, I met with a 6'2" well built eighth grade basketball player who shows great promise on the court but struggles academically. The youngster comports himself in a well-mannered fashion. He has never had any disciplinary issues in his school history.

After visiting with the kid for the better part of an hour it seemed reasonable to conclude the boy sufferes from some attention focus issues, poor study habits and some language comprehension ability. This opinion is based on observation and the lad's own acknowledgments.

I immediately made contact with the school district Administrators to get permission to release some Turkey Tournament monies for an 11-week tutoring program for the youngster. This is one of the reasons I have given effort to coordinating this basketball tournament the  past 17-years. We'll see what shakes out but we're going to do our best to see that this kid succeeds.

Before I left the boy, I handed a copy of the book, 'Going The Distance' by Ken Norton, former world heavyweight boxing champion and graduate of Jacksonville high school Jacksonville, Illinois.
I shared with the boy a comment Norton said to me the last time I spoke with Ken before his death.
Norton said, "Mel, I tell young kids that 'Going the Distance' is an everyday thing to be a champion."

Accepting Less

I am aware that it is easy to generalize and make 'blanket' statements. I will therefore carefully construct the following: More often than not public school administrators are overpaid for under-performance while public school teachers are underpaid for over-performance.

Recently, I spoke with a secondary public school teacher who claims that high school test scores would improve nationwide if all schools implemented a no nonsense cell-phone policy. In his particular high school the administration has the following cell-phone policy, which is a rather prevalent policy>> 'Its left up to individual classroom teachers.' In other words, the school district, which has rules addressing athletic code violations, smoking and drugs, theft, bullying, fighting and academics leaves cell phone usage up to the individual classroom teacher. Those teachers who have strict rules are thus disliked by students and parents while teachers who permit cell phone use (checking out social media) are liked by students and parents. The administrators take a page out of Pontius Pilate play book.

Years ago, I asked a high school administrator why we no longer had sport pep assemblies when playoffs began. He said "Pep assemblies are problematic due to the disruptive trouble-making students." I said, "In other words we deprive the good, well-behaved students from fun things to accommodate the jerks?" Those were the years we were giving McDonald's free meal coupons to repeated truant students if they came to school for a week. My two daughters never got a McDonald's meal coupon...they had too good attendance records to qualify.

Save It For Muddled-Head Thinkers

I am amused at the disingenuous gibberish-jabber of America's so-called Christian evangelicals. To coin a sport metaphor, 'they talk a good game.' You often hear verbal chatter about how terrible things are since we no longer have prayer is school. I frequently see messages suggesting that 'we have taken God out of our schools.' This kind of rhetoric gets many older folks and some right-wingers all worked up about the wicked agenda of those evil liberals. You'll remember Bill O'Rielly who was constantly beating the drum about America's great cultural war. You know, those liberal store owners who don't put Christian symbols up when decorating for Christmas and make their employees wish you "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas." Why there's a conspiracy afoot to take Jesus out of our culture. Therefore, you best vote for Republicans...THAT family values party. Oh buddy, save me from that numskull group!

 It's all poppycock! Bull-butter! Every time you and I stay away from weekly church services then it's YOU & I who are to blame for the demise of Christ in our culture. We've now had a generation of parents who have kept their children 'out of church' and Christ out of their lives. That said, we are doing a darn good job killing Jesus all over again. On any given Sunday 14-to-18 percent of Protestant Americans claiming to be followers of Christ can be found in Church pews. And we've been in declining attendance for some time. That's correct... Protestant churches across America are experiencing attendance decline...that means liberals and conservatives, Democrats and Republicans 'ain't going to Church!'

Spare me the conspiracy malarkey, please!

Return To Sender

I've been on the precipice of cancelling my mail service. When I explained my reasoning to my wife she was rather adamant telling me that I could NOT do that because of various monthly payments and communications with family and friends. I understood and yielded to her judgment on the issue with one amended agreement; she opens my mail and screens it.

I apologize but I have not given you background information on the matter. Here's the deal: The mail I receive these days is profoundly depressing and stressful. Here's a sampling: 1) Hearing aid appointment offers with 40% discount on 6-thousand dollar hearing aids. 2) Back braces, knee braces and one-day denture offers. 3) hair-growing products. 4) Memory Loss Seminars 5) Assisted Living Facilities costs and 6) Cemetary burial plans. THAT'S DEPRESSING MAIL! I don't want to read that stuff early morning; it sets a negative tone for my entire day.

A recent piece of mail that tipped the scale was a notice from some insurance company with ties to AARP. This insurer informed me that their offer to insure me would be withdrawn in three months "When you turn 80-years of age," it read. I'm thinking this is borderline elderly abuse.
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Return To Sender

When?

Watching a devastated heartbroken father's gut-wrenching news conference addressing his 22-year old son's shooting death, one of 11-Southern California victims, I cannot help but wonder WHEN...WHEN will the leaders of this nation address these frequent mass murders of our civilians by our OWN people. Please understand that I am not dumping this at Trump's feet, instead I see it as Congress' responsibility..

I am not interested in re-hashing the gun control debate. And I don't want to hear attacks on the NRA or poppycock about mental illness or guns don't kill but people kill or the idiotic notion that 'if everybody was armed with guns we could stop the shooter.' Anybody with average intelligence should agree that both mental illness and gun availability contribute 100% to these senseless killings.

Instead we must listen to the hysterical fear-mongering language, which demeans immigrants 'invading' our nation with "bad people," "thugs" and "terrorist." Can we put aside the divisive political rhetoric and address OUR NATION'S problem with mentally ill people capable of getting guns?

While the President begs for a border wall and sends thousands of military troops to the Mexico  border to stave off the immigrants marching towards America seeking safety and a better life,  Americans (inside our borders) are killing one another in churches, synagogues, school buildings, theaters, bars, restaurants and dance venues. While people lock horns over a woman's choice, our children, brothers-sisters, parents and neighbors are getting murdered by folks who look like us.

When...WHEN will fools like you and me (from the left and right) stop bickering on Facebook about 'who is right' and with one voice demand that our elected government officials 'GET IT RIGHT?'

As the saying goes: "Keep doing the same thing or keep doing nothing...you should expect the same results."
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Stop The Killing

Be Alert Folks

If you are one of the millions who try to follow the political 'goings-on within our government,' I would kindly suggest that in the next few weeks, 'DONT STAND IN FRONT OF THE FAN!'

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When The Ship Hit The Sand

Move Kindness Month

You may have missed it and I'm sorry if my blog-reminder saddens you but DID YOU KNOW that October was 'Kindness Month?' Perhaps if you are among the millions who failed to respond to the month's charge-message to do daily 'acts of kindness,' you can blame it on the long and depressing mid-term political campaigning climate. It's fair to say being kind in that environment is difficult.

I'm not so naive to believe political campaign ugliness is something new. A visit to the Lincoln Museum (Springfield, IL.) will document the incredible nasty attacks by the press and political opponents towards Abraham Lincoln. Just the racist cartoons targeting Lincoln is terribly sad.
That said, I believe the current times with extensive social media availability and Facebook comment posting and the plethora of unsubstantiated facts woven into negative attacks gives rise to anger, hatred, vulgarities, and mean spirited attacks, which promotes emotional depression and stress.

Personally, I think the selection of October as 'Kindness Month' is problematic. The leaves are falling, plants are dying, the cold winds and rains reminds us of winter's pending bleakness. I think our 'kindness month' should be moved to May. The month of May is spirit lifting as we feel a warmer breeze and watch the landscape come to life with the renewal of fabulous colors. Personally, I'd like to see 'National Kindness Day' placed between 'Mother Goose Day' and 'National Candied Orange Peel Day.' When moving 'Kindness Day' to May we must establish a date far enough away from Cinco de Mayo Day due to our entrenched dislike for Mexican 'thugs, rapist, and job stealing evil immigrants trying to invade our country.
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What a Difference a Day Makes

Everybody's Got A Primrose Lane

A recent research study suggests that one of the best medicines for stress and depression is nostalgia. Of course, one man's nostalgia could be another man's stress. Perhaps we should therefore state that a good 'stress/depression buster' is a walk down one's OWN memory lane.

It appears that when we embrace those carefree and delightful things we experienced in our past, we actually have affectionate recall most generally. Nostalgia counteracts depression. Often times people of their own accord will seek those past experiences when they are feeling depressed. Specifically, a person might wish to watch a classic movie from the past, i.e., 'A Wonderful Life,' An Affair to Remember,' or perhaps 'Christmas Vacation.' I find my nostalgia in music. I suppose that's why I have a collection of hundreds of vinyl record albums, thousands of vinyl 45's and numerous catalogs documented music history while offering the unique trivia. When I retreat to my office/den, I actually travel way back in time, which likely helps me keep my faculties in these times.

Most often people enjoy remembering nostalgia from their youth. Nostalgia allows us to go back in time when life was 'in the moment' and predictable; there was little uncertainty. There was little pressure because there was little expectation.

On a personal note, I have always enjoyed the practice of reminiscing, which is surely the act of embracing nostalgia. Occasionally, I have been accused of 'living in the past.' I refute that accusation but I'm not offended by it. To be upset with such would ask for worry about my psychological well- being, which could stress me out and cause depression.
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Lost In Nostalgia