Meditations on Honesty
On February 26, 1981, Joey Coyle, a Philadelphia longshoreman, was driving behind an armored car when the doors of the armored car opened up. Two bags full of $100 bills fell out. Joey Coyle picked them up, and then spent the next week trying to figure out what to do with $1.2 million. In that…
Where’s The Remote?
(An essay in memory of my late father, Joseph Ward) True story, word of honor, part 1: Theresa is working on a crossword puzzle right now. The puzzle theme is “Where’s The Remote?” True story, word of honor, part 2: My father misplaced his TV remote control a lot. Like all the time. He also…
Bad Predictions
I am a bad predictor. I predict most things badly. Like sports, elections, the weather, and (in the short term) the stock market. I admit it, and I don’t spend money on my predictions. I don’t do sports gambling, prediction markets, or day trading. I have no idea what tomorrow will bring. I note that…
The Stories We Tell Ourselves
I sat down to write this yesterday, and it poured out in 45 minutes. It isn’t perfect, but it is authentic. It is a collection of a few thoughts about my internal dialogue. I think I will call it “The Stories We Tell Ourselves”. I have read several quotes about how we think of ourselves…
Making a Difference
I recently read a quote by French filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard: “A story should have a beginning, a middle and an end, but not necessarily in that order”. With that in mind, I want to tell you a story. I think it is about giving, but I’m not sure….. Social Determinants: I receive reading suggestions from…
Bob Weir: An Appreciation
Bob Weir, one of the co-founders of the Grateful Dead, died yesterday at the age of 78. For those who aren’t familiar with Bob Weir, he was the rhythm guitar player, co-founder, and one of the lead vocalists of the Grateful Dead. Consider this: I never met Bob Weir…but I spent hundreds of hours listening…
Topics For Discussion
My family and I are going on a vacation next week. I’ve been told we are going to a nice place. Theresa does most of the organizing work for our vacations (flights, hotels, activities) and I get interested about three days before we leave. What I really look forward to is our family time. I…
Financial Literacy 101
When I was growing up, my family didn’t discuss money. I didn’t learn about bank accounts, never heard about saving money or investing it, or planning for the future. When Theresa and I began living together (1988?) I watched her balance her checking account. She offered to balance my accounts, and asked me to provide…
Where Is Your Dot?
A few thoughts on my connection with people, and my connection with technology. A couple of years ago, as the pandemic was easing, I had breakfast with my sponsor. I explained to him that I was feeling disconnected from my recovery program. The online meetings that I was attending weren’t “doing it” for me. (Ironically,…
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