On The Fly

In this episode, The Art of the Short-Circuit. We spend a surprising amount of our lives on conversational autopilot. You see it everywhere. At the hardware store. At the post office. In office hallways, where two people can exchange greetings, discuss the weather, and continue on their way without either one actually hearing what the other said. "How are you?” "Good. You?” “Busy." “Yep." It's less of a conversation and more of a system check. Most of us aren't being rude. We're just moving fast. We have emails to answer, meetings to attend, errands to run, and a hundred other things competing for our attention. Before long, our interactions become little more than verbal lane markers helping us navigate the day. I like to break the script. When I run into someone, instead of the usual greetings, I'll ask: "What's the good word?” The reaction is almost always worth it. You can practically see the gears stop turning. People pause. They blink....

✈️  In this special episode: Paris – the End of Silence Sometimes, connection arrives in the most unexpected form—not through grand gestures, but through a quiet voice carried by technology. In a Paris apartment, I finally understood my family’s words . . . and felt my mother’s presence in every sentence. Since I was a little boy, France has been both a beautiful and frustrating paradox in my life. Every six to nine years, my mother, Mauricette, would take my brothers and me back to La Rochelle to visit our French family. The moment we arrived, the air would fill with a sound I loved but couldn’t share in—the rapid-fire, musical rhythm of French. My aunts, uncles, and cousins would warmly sweep me into hugs and kisses, their words flowing like a lovely melody I couldn’t quite catch. I’d smile brightly, trying to communicate with my eyes and hands. But as soon as we stepped off the plane, my mother and her sister-in-law, Joséan, started talking animatedly. They were gone, chatting h...

In this episode, Patrick & Huck: Retirement Talk . . .   We all get caught daydreaming sometimes, don’t we? Just like Tom Sawyer or Huck Finn might’ve done, lazyin’ by the river with a fishing pole in hand and the BIG wide world spinn’ in their heads. This morning, with coffee steaming and plans bubbling, I found myself driftin’ into a chat with none other than my imaginary friend–Huck Finn himself. Patrick: “Mornin’, Huck. Say, I’m mighty curious what you’d make of this retirement business.” Huck: “Well now, sit tight, ‘cause I’ve been thinkin’ on that too. Only thirty-one days 'til you're sixty-nine — whew! You're talkin’ ‘bout quittin’, hangin’ up your spurs, Givin’ the workin’ life its final good slurs. Ain’t got no debts, no mortgage, no fuss, Just clean livin’ and freedom waitin’ on the bus. Most folks’d throw hats in the air, cheerin’ loud and proud, But you? You’re starin’ out yonder, lost in some cloud. You're dreamin’ of cyclin' and books and guitar...

In this episode, Are We Full of Sh*t? . . . Let me ask you this, are you a reader ( listener ) concerned with young people's education today? Are we teaching our children to be creative or follow archaic rules handed down through generations? If so, let me introduce you to the author Don Hanley, Ph.D., and his inspiring memoir that we just finished. But before I do, let's set the stage for how unforeseen pivotal moments can unexpectedly change your life for the better. In hindsight, one of those moments for me was an invitation to join a local writer's group after my early retirement from GIA in 2014. During that experience, I met and became friends with Dr. Don (as I call him), a former Catholic Priest who left the ministry to marry. Don earned a doctorate in psychology and has served for over 40 years as a psychotherapist, graduate school professor, and counseling supervisor. Now retired and approaching his 90th birthday, his writings include four non-fiction books on psy...

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 ear...