THE JOY OF WALKING....12/17/23

Almost every day after reading the news, writing down my thoughts, and sharing some contemplative morning time with my wife, I set out for an hour long power walk.

I don't like gyms, I tried running once but gave up because it was too unpleasant, and I loathe swimming....so knowing that at my age it's important to keep moving, I walk - fast.

I've been doing it for years, taking with me the cane I made for my late father from an exotic hardwood lumber sticker after he broke his leg.

I don't really depend on it for support but after being bitten by an angry dog during one of my outings, it gives me a bit of confidence if one lunges at me again. Besides I like the way it feels.

My Sunday morning religious experience involves picking up debris along the way, mostly filling a plastic grocery bag each week while wondering what kind of person throws trash out of their vehicle with abandon.

Perhaps I ought to pay more attention to the moment, but my nature is to multi-task so I listen to podcasts or visit with someone on my phone while doing my best to at least acknowledge passersby.

We each have a favorite part of our day.

This is one of mine.

THIS I BELIEVE....12/16/23

16,000 animals, including multiple dinasaurs, accompanied the 600 year old Noah and his family of 8 on the Ark he built to survive the flood that covered the entire Earth, which was created 1,600 years earlier by God, and which is now only around 6,000 years old.

These are just a few of the beliefs of Mike Johnson, the current Speaker of the House.

Now I don't have a problem with regular people who believe in harmless myths - heck I have a friend who believes that humans have never been to the moon, and another friend who believed the earth was flat.

But it seems to me that elected officials ought to have at least some semblance of reality.

If someone like Johnson believes in the absolute literal interpretation of the Bible, then it would make sense that he would be instrumental in trying to overturn the results of an election that survived 61 court challenges, and was certified by all 50 Secretaries of State.

SPILLED MILK....12/15/23

Close to a quarter of all young people under the age of 18 are overweight. Not only do these kids have a greater risk of heart disease and diabetes, it costs our economy around $18 billion each year.

The numbers have been increasing over the years, so when Michelle Obama was First Lady, she decided to try to do something about it by launching a number of initiatives to combat this dangerous trend.

Among them was to help facilitate a rule change to remove whole milk from schools because of its high fat content.

Consumption of milk in schools decreased overall and as a result, dairy farmers went ballistic and have been working since then to overturn the regulations.

They may finally get their way. A bill passed the House on Wednesday to allow high fat milk back into our schools.

By the way, the dairy industry spends over $5 million each year lobbying politicians, while American taxpayers hand dairy farmers around $40 billion a year in subsidies.