Home»Blog»blog»Some Personal Learnings So Far 2025
In times of trouble, writing down my thoughts always helps. Likewise, writing down my goals makes it more likely for me to achieve them.
We can plan all we want, but things can change drastically in a moment, often in ways outside our control.
Living in a democracy is not a given. What is given is that we continually have to work to keep it strong.
Dreams can be so weird. If you want to write like Bob Dylan, write down your dreams — the real dreams — like the one I had this morning, where a friend comes into my backyard in a cart drawn by a pink donkey to give rides to the local children.
If I put down my phone while standing in line, I become aware that everyone else is looking at theirs. It is surprising when I initiate conversation, people lighten up and get off their phones.
I love to read so much that I’m now a part of three book clubs. I’ve discovered I also love to listen to books.
I’ve had a text chain going with three high school friends for the past six years. Through texting, we’ve shared more intimate thoughts than we would have if we were talking to one another if we were talking directly.
I absolutely love listening to baseball on the radio — I’d rather listen than watch it on TV. Thank you, Ernie Harwell.
I can’t believe it’s been 50 years that I’ve been practicing as a psychologist.
I also can’t believe how old the former NBA stars look. It’s enough to make me want to shave my gray beard.
My sons, Daniel and Adam, and I have been sharing music on Spotify for over 10 years. I’m learning to enjoy newer artists.
My go-to music sources remain few: The Beatles, Elvis, Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder, and Joni Mitchell.
A new house has been going up on my block. Watching the huge trucks coming and going for months reminds me just how much work building a house takes.
My grandkids love to play in the pile of dirt in front of the new house. I grew up with dirt piles too — back when Oak Park was still being built 75 years ago.
I’m lucky as a man to have so many good friends.
I regularly listen to three podcasts: The Daily, Fresh Air, and Desert Island Discs — a British radio show that’s been running for over 70 years.
I’m constantly flooded with suggestions for great movies or TV shows — and I can barely tolerate most of them!
Abraham Lincoln was spot-on when he said, “You can fool some of the people some of the time, but you can’t fool all the people all of the time.”
Writing down “lessons learned” every day can be a pathway to wisdom.
Some really good projects take a long time. Bill Burgard and I have been working together on a children’s book about baseball, my grandfather Izzie, and Mark Fidrych, a famous Detroit Tiger nicknamed the Bird. We’re about to submit it to a publisher! (If you have any connections in the children’s book world, please let me know.)
