"When you start to die, don't"

Frank Buckles, the 108-year-old last surviving veteran of World War I (the lol "war to end all wars"), says the secret to a long life is "when you start to die, don’t.” Post your long life secret here!

Canaan Entrepreneur Pitchbook

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As we prepare to celebrate Memorial Day, to honor those who gave their lives in service to our great country, I want to share this poem, which appears in the current issue of LEATHERNECK magazine. Apologies for copyright problems - maybe forgiveness instead of permission.

Susan Boyle Britain's Got Talent

She's 47 and absolute proof that it's never too late!
This lady stunned the panel (including Simon Cowell) of Britain's equivalent of American Idol. Follow the "Susan Boyle" link for an unforgettable audio experience as she sings "I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Miserables. If your eyes tear, don't be embarrassed. She's really that good.

Life is action and passion

"I think that, as life is action and passion, it is required of a man that he should share the passion and action of his time at peril of being judged not to have lived."

These often quoted lines were delivered by Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. on Memorial Day, May 30, 1884 in an address titled "In Our Youth Our Hearts Were Touched With Fire". He referred to the commitment of soldiers from North and South in the Civil War. The shame of aging is that we often let that fire die out. Our "time" is each day we are privileged to live and to enjoy a measure of physical ability and mental acuity. The judgment of having lived applies to every one of those days.

When they have to give you a label

A forty-something female clerk at Kroger’s called me a “seasoned citizen” the other day. It was a dodge, one of those euphemisms folks use when they absolutely must stick a label on you. I told her yes, I was seasoned - pepper, cinnamon, cloves, a dash of cayenne, a sprig of thyme - and cooked nearly well done. I was tempted to invite her to bite me. But that would have been rude. So I just smiled.

In the interest of full disclosure (no, my real name isn’t Bill Clinton) I should tell you it was the first Wednesday of the month and I was there for the 10% senior discount.

Same thing with “young man”. That’s the owner of my neighborhood independent hardware store, probably fifteen years younger than me, who always wears a baseball cap to hide his scalp. Good news is he gives us who have endured 60 years and can still afford to pay his prices a ten percent discount, which gets him close to the big box store prices. I suppose you could look at it backwards and say customers under 60 pay a junior penalty. Maybe they are just “bland”, or “green” or “underdone” or something like that.

What thing are you better at than anyone else?

My father told me that everyone in the world is better at one thing than anyone else. What's your thing?