Sad Songs

Paul felt sorry for his friend’s son Julian. Paul’s friend, John, had left his wife for another woman, which Julian took really hard. To offer comfort, Paul wrote the boy a song. To conceal Julian’s identity, Paul changed his name to “Jude” for the song, which he released on this date – August 26, 1968.…

Ralph Lifshitz

Ralph Lifshitz was a shy boy, who was constantly ridiculed because of his last name. By the age of 16, he was relegated to the back of every classroom, picked last on every sports team, and without a hint of a first date. Tired of the ridicule, by the age of 30, Ralph did something…

It’s There 168 Times

We find the word “remember” 168 times in the Bible. That has to mean something. Let me suggest a few things you should try to remember. What it feels like to be sober What it feels like to act out The vows you made to your spouse The vows you made to your God The…

Hiccups

Charles Osborne spent 68 consecutive years hiccupping. He finally found a cure, then died within a year. Don’t feel too sorry for Charles. A lot of us die before we find a cure, rather than after. I suggest you start chasing after your dreams now; there is no good reason to wait. But first, you…

Great Advice

Letter to advice columnist: “The other day, as I drove off to work, my car made a horrible noise, and then the engine began to smoke. The car died about three miles from my house. I had forgotten my cell phone, so I walked home, which took me three hours. When I got home, I…

The Best of Times

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” Though Charles Dickens wrote those words in the 19th century, they could have been written this week. 2020 has been a year for the record books. In many ways, these are the best of times; in others, they are the worst of times.…

The Enemy

“Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer” (The Godfather: Part II). It’s usually pretty easy to spot a friend. That is the person who loves you more because of your addiction, not despite your addiction. What’s not so easy to spot is an enemy. Let me help. An enemy is someone who . .…

Which Is Not Right?

Which of these is not correct? Babies have 100 more bones than adults. The Eiffel Tower can be 15 cm taller during the summer. 20% of Earth’s oxygen comes from the Amazon rainforest. In 2.3 billion years it will be too hot to live on Earth. It takes 8 minutes, 19 seconds for light to…

Wisdom from Archie Bunker

One of the great Archie Bunker quotes from All in the Family was, “We’re just sweeping dirty dishes under the rug.” Of course, the correct phrase would be to “sweep the dirt under the rug.” But we get the point. Archie spoke for every addict who wants to take the easiest route to recovery. We…

Running Your Day

Ours is a society of lists. We make a list each day, of all the things we want to accomplish that day. And that’s a good thing. But then our lists can become our god. And that’s a bad thing. Jim Rohn said, “Either you run the day, or the day runs you.” “The fruit…