Category: And Yet Musings

Be Opened!

/ Larry / 6 Comments

Can you say colonoscopy with me? (Okay, we’ll just whisper the word.)

As an aging baby boomer, conversations with my doctor frequently include one of my least favorite five-syllable “C” words.

“You should have one,” she often says at my random annual physicals.

Drats, an exam a few years back revealed a few polyps. And so, the “C” word remained a fixture when visiting Dr. Should, my vigilant personal physician. If there hadn’t been any polyps I could have ignored another colonoscopy for maybe a decade. Frankly I’m fond of procrastination. It’s one of my favorite five-syllable words.

Unfortunately, polyps mean more follow-up exams. Alas, I’ll probably need another “soon.” Continue reading →

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Work Your Way from the Outside

/ Larry / Leave a comment

So the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?” [Mark 7:2]

Mom tried to save me. For the most part, she did an admirable job.

In high school, I was a nerd and geek before those terms were popular. As the guy with black-rimmed glasses, I felt more comfortable reading books than relating to people. But occasionally, if only because of expectations or longing (or both), I attempted to escape my geekdom. One event that created tension between risky longing and safe habits involved my high school’s Senior Ball. To go or not to go became my Hamlet-inspired query. Wasn’t I obligated to make an appearance?

Question: how many high school dances had I attended?

Answer: 0.

You read that last sentence correctly . . . zero, nada, none, zilch, to emphasize the factual, actual reality. Continue reading →

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Hello, Mr. Doubt

/ Larry / Leave a comment

A hand waved from the back corner of the room. Then the question: “Do you have ‘anyone’ else in the room with you when you write?”

The quotation marks framing “anyone” are important. The questioner wasn’t talking about a real person, rather an imagined real person.

Ron Carlson replied with, “Oh, yes—”

In a moment I’ll finish his response.

When many of [Jesus’] disciples heard it, they said, “This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?” – John 6:60

Once upon a time, for a week in August, I lived in Squaw Valley USA. It’s the site of the 1960 Winter Olympics. Nestled at 6,200 feet near Lake Tahoe, this Sierra hint of granite-ribbed heaven is also a slice—or maybe many slices—of commercialism. Come the snow, skiers flock here. There are fancy restaurants, luxury hotels, and mansions dubbed cabins. Continue reading →

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