My 500 Words

I really don't like grades. Only occasionally do they accurately indicate what they mean. I have reviewed various studies and abstracts that show no meaningful correlation between a grade point average and success some next level. Many kids who perform well in elementary school flounder once they hit junior high. Some students who struggled in junior high blossom once they hit high school. College can send the brightest for a loop. But even those who fail out of college can discover great success without a degree in hand. Another thing that drives me bonkers is politics. We elect these people to go to Washington or to our state capitals and we charge them with finding solutions to problems. Every two, four or six years these people keep coming back and telling us about all of the problems that they are going to fix if we'll just elect them again. Sometimes we get tired of the incumbent's song and dance and we elect the challenger. Then when his term is up he'll come ...

The cashier waited patiently as I filled out the check to pay for the groceries. I had almost completed the task when I looked up and sheepishly asked the date. When she told me what day it was I maintained my composure, wrote down the date, took my receipt and groceries and headed for my car. All the way across the parking lot, I could clearly hear the sound of my own voice asking me one very curious thing, "How could you forget your birthday?" Yes, it was my birthday and I knew it, but in that particular moment I simply forgot and had to ask about the one day that you would think I would never forget. I thought of this encounter during a class discussion about the holy purposes of the Sabbath Day. The translation of the Old Testament that I read says, "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it....

The tingling sensation in my fingers got worse each day. In the morning, I could type letters and pleadings without a problem, but by the end of the day I only noticed the tension in my wrists and little feeling in the tips of my stiffened fingers. I would usually take two or three ibuprofen and they would take the edge off. When I found myself increasing the dosage to four pills I decided it was time to see a professional and I scheduled an appointment with an orthopedist. I already figured the problem was carpal tunnel syndrome and I just needed to confirm it. Several friends had used one particular doctor and gave him great recommendations. I consulted with my insurance provider and found that this doctor was in my network. If the waiting list was any indication, he must have been as good as my friends had said. It took almost four weeks before I could get an appointment. When the day came, I made my way to his office, feeling nervous about a likely surgery. Once I met with the...

Over the years I have made several changes that have helped me to become a much better and safer driver. I was like many teenage male drivers in my early years. I had an attitude that I needed to get wherever I was going first. If there was a car in front of me I felt a primal urge to get in front of that car. I congratulated myself with each pass and it made driving seem like a video game that never ends; because there is always a car in front of you. If the highways had been a loom I would have woven beautiful tapestries during those early years. I have also become better at leaving earlier and this has had several positive effects in my driving. I feel less stress when I drive so I slow down and pay attention. Just yesterday a car pulled in front of me. I mentioned to my son that I would have to slow down to observe the two-second rule. I was already creating extra space when it became clear that traffic was stopping in our lane because of backing from the next exit. Because I was...

My nephew was living in Hamburg, Germany during the fall of 2001 and I had an unexpected business trip to Frankfurt come up at the same time. My first meeting took place at the airport. That afternoon I met with opposing counsel in his office and confirmed my appointment for the following morning. I would have one week before the next meetings and planned to drive up to Hamburg and surprise my nephew. Part of the reason I planned the trip was to squeeze in some vacation time, bookended by some work. I checked out of my quaint hotel and as soon as my meeting ended I got into my car, double checked the map and headed north toward Hamburg. Other than a few miles from the airport to my hotel, I had never driven on the famed German autobahn. Only moments passed before I realized that German drivers had earned their reputation for high-powered vehicles and very fast driving. I also found them extraordinarily polite and helpful in their driving. But no matter how well trained they are acc...

My wallet decided to go missing and all efforts to retrace my steps and search in even the most unexpected places proved fruitless. I resigned myself to the fate that nobody seeks and everybody mocks; a trip to the Driver License Division. I was going to arrive near the end of the day and I felt certain that a long and dreadful wait to reprocess a less-than-one-year-old driver license was only going to add to the mountain of hassle that began with that missing wallet. I worried about new regulations and I wanted to make certain that I had all the proper documentation -- Birth Certificate, Passport, Social Security Card, utility bills and bank statements to prove residence. I just hoped they wouldn’t ask for two forms of ID when I wrote them a check because I also lost my credit cards, work and library cards. Their driver license was going to become my ID. As a precaution, I logged onto their website and found that I could fill out the form online and print it. I also learnt that I...

The truth is, I used to know how to fly; and I wasn’t the only one. I remember soaring over my neighborhood and looking down at the houses and people below. It’s different than being in a plane because you can see all around you and see what’s up and down. You also have to be careful of birds and phone and electrical wires so it is best to fly over parks or empty fields. There was one summer day when everyone was out of school and we were playing tag in the park with no adults around. One older boy was super fast and no one could escape his tags; except for one girl. She did it by jumping into the air and hovering 10 feet above the ground. There is no laughter as rich and lilty as the laughter of a child who just escaped a tag and stayed just out of the reach of the older boy. That poor chaser was so agitated and upset because every time he jumped he would just come down. There was nothing he could do. As clear as the sunny day, I can see the older boy getting madder and madder ...