Skip to main content

Sundays With Glenn | Prt. 1

In this episode – Sundays with Glenn | Ep. 1. . .

Have you ever had a wise friend that you wish you could spend more time with? But life's daily responsibilities just seem to get in the way.

You may know such a person, a kind, gentle soul that you could just sit relaxed on your porch on a crisp autumn afternoon, passing the time engaged in conversation? With years of experience, this individual has that uncanny ability to synthesize life lessons into rare practical ideas that build communities. We all have. Or should I say we all wish we had?

Allow me to introduce you to my friend, Glenn Ferguson, who turns 100 years of age on October 29, 2021 - today. I've been privileged to know Glenn over the past ten years.

Admittedly, life has a funny way of introducing you to people (at just the right time) that affects your values for the better. That is, provided you recognize the opportunity and are willing to listen. Sadly, I'm afraid not many folks are eager to listen.

It was early fall of 2010, a beautiful crisp, clear day at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. I was honored to be a guest of Major Glenn Fergusons (USMC) at the flight-line chalet for the airshow. This was special, a front-row seat to mingle with retired officers and photograph the airshow. Since that day, we've exchanged ideas, had lunch together, discussed technology, introduced young people to shared experiences, and so much more. Let's just say we hit it off.

And after reading the book Tuesdays with Morrie, I was compelled to take on a project that would reveal the wisdom of this "Centenarian" before he's gone from this world. My hope is the following Q&A sessions will enlighten you as they have me.

I'm calling it Sundays with Glenn; welcome to episode one.

Narration - Audio interview with Glenn.

Also, if you have a question for Glenn or would like to be a guest on this podcast email pball@sbcglobal.net. Or click the following link  https://anchor.fm/patrick-ball/message and leave me a voice message.

So, won't you be my virtual neighbor? If you enjoy our weekly visits, please share them with a friend.

I'm Patrick Ball; thanks for listening. See you in the next episode.

Comments

Most Popular of All Time

The Gopher Problem and the High Powered Solution

Vacationing in Maine this week, just a short drive down the coast from Freeport, it is hard not to think about the outsized impact one frustrated outdoorsman had on the gear we all use today. Bad equipment can ruin a perfectly good day on the water or the trail, but it takes a special kind of vision to turn cold feet into a century-old empire. This is the story of the company we now know as L.L.Bean, but more importantly, it is a masterclass in integrity, learning from failure, and standing behind your work. In 1912, Leon Leonwood Bean faced a persistent problem: returning from expeditions in the Maine woods with cold, wet feet. Instead of complaining, he got creative. He had a local shoemaker stitch waterproof rubber soles onto the flexible leather uppers of a hunting boot. He called it the Maine Hunting Shoe and mailed a flyer promising perfect satisfaction. Then reality arrived. Ninety of his first 100 pairs failed when the rubber separated from the leather. Not an effective product...

Beyond Facts-The Deep Dive

✨ In this episode, Beyond Facts: Reimagining School–in the Age of AI . . .   This week's podcast is a bit different; it's another example of how Artificial Intelligence (AI) can offer tools to creatively enhance your analytical presentation of information. We took this week's blog and copied it into Gemini with the question, “If a story is to work, it must, on some level, create an illusion of escape and also achieve a goal simultaneously. Does this apply to my blog post that follows?” What's created is not just an analysis of the writing, but an AI-generated discussion produced “On the Fly” - Enjoy! Did you know that the word "school" comes from the ancient Greek word scholē , which originally meant "leisure"? Not a rigid schedule or droning lectures filled with "facts," but free time for thinking and conversation. To the Greeks, learning happened best when life slowed down—when you had room to reflect, to ask questions, and to wrestle ...

The Rhythm of the Woodpecker

The morning in Vista often begins under a heavy, gray marine layer that rolls in from the coast, pressing a damp, muffled stillness over the neighborhood. At 4:30 a.m., the driveways are still full. The local commuters are either blissfully unconscious or stumbling blindly toward their showers, clinging desperately to their last shred of peace before the nine-to-five grind claims them for the day. I, on the other hand, am voluntarily wide awake in the dark. When your agenda consists of absolutely nothing, it is critical to get an early start. Inside the house, the quiet is profound, broken only by the sharp, mechanical click of the kettle as it reaches a rolling boil. I stand at the counter, watching the dark ground coffee bloom as hot water hits the French press's stainless steel. The smell is sudden and heavy—a deep, roasted-earth aroma that cuts through the morning fog. I push against the plunger’s gritty resistance, pouring a cup that radiates dark, stinging heat against my pal...

Stamps and Snow

In this episode, Stamps and Snow . . .   You don’t usually walk into the local Post Office expecting a time warp . . . but here we are. All we wanted were stamps for this year's Christmas cards— yes, the old-fashioned paper ones that require licking, sticking, and hoping the Postal Service is feeling ambitious this week. But holiday errands have a talent for slowing you down, almost like the universe whispering, “Relax. You’re not getting out of this line any faster anyway.” So we waited. And while we waited, we talked (Are you surprised?). Because the Post Office is one of the few places where people still look up from their phones long enough to talk . . . Maybe it's because they're holding packages. It’s the modern town square: part civic duty, part free entertainment, part sociology experiment. The discussion began with holiday specials streaming on Netflix, Paramount+, and other services during this time of year. One gentleman who has lived in Vista since 1958 told us,...