Love Is An Act
When my mother became terminally ill, it sent a shockwave through the family. My father was devastated. He made the decision to stop working at our family business to stay home with her. Taking care of Mom was a full-time job for him, but he was determined to spend every last second with her. She didn’t want […]
No Plan B
About ten years ago I had the honor to interview legendary race car driver, Mario Andretti. It was for a story in my book, How Fathers Change Lives. Mario may be the greatest race car driver of all time. He is one of only two drivers in history to win races in Formula One, NASCAR, Indycar, and the […]
SPECIAL SKIN
I can’t believe it’s been almost 10 years since I released my book, How Fathers Change Lives. One of my favorite stories that came from the book was contributed by my nephew, Jason. In his own words… * * * It was 1981. We were having another bleak and freezing winter in Cincinnati, but Christmas was just a week […]
The Spirit of Ubuntu
While a British anthropologist was studying a Zulu tribe in South Africa she observed that the sense of community was unlike anything she had ever seen. In a village of roughly 700 people it seemed as though every person had a connection with every other person. In her journal she noted, “Literally everybody shares with […]
The Only Difference is Diligence
Last Saturday the world celebrated the oldest hand game in human history. Do you know what it is? On August 27th hand gamers around the world celebrated the iconic Rock-Paper-Scissors game, known by some in the U.S. as “Rochambeau” (often misspelled Roshambo). LET’S PLAY… ROCHAMBEAU? Where the heck did the word Rochambeau come from? The […]
Those Giving More
His car was 100% immaculate. His clothes were 100% pressed. His closet was 100% organized. At the office he was 100% work. At home he was 100% husband and dad. From religion to relationships to reading a book, everything was 100%. My dad, Chubby, was the epitome of an “all in” person – never unclear, […]
The Blind Can See Kindness
In the Victorian Era dresses were so large at the bottom they prevented women from reaching door knobs. That’s how the tradition of men opening doors for women began. It was reinforced by men opening doors for mothers carrying children. In 2020 I wrote about this in Open Her Door to Open Her Heart. […]
Mona Lisa’s Eyebrows
Pop Quiz: Are the Mona Lisa’s eyebrows black or brown? What is the strongest muscle in the human body? Do men blink more than women, or vice versa? Early in life I learned that people naturally gravitate towards those who are interesting. I believe this is true in love, business, and life. The more interesting […]
Influence Others
An “honesty box” was placed on a table in a company break room to collect money for coffee. On the box it said: “$1 per cup.” For one week a picture of brightly colored flowers was placed directly behind the box. In the second week the picture was switched to one of watchful human eyes. […]
Keeping It A Secret
He ran a popular saloon, but Prohibition put an end to that in 1918. So he bought a 120 acre ranch and started harvesting grapes to ship via railway and sell in Chicago where home winemaking wasn’t banned. Eventually he bought several farms where his two sons worked with him tending the vineyards. In 1933, […]