Cynics say that Donald Trump gets financial support from billionaires because they think a Trump presidency will make them even richer. But I’m pretty sure that Republican billionaires, like most of us, believe their actions help society. I’d love to interview some of them but what are my chances? So, I had ChatGPT create John […]
Mature Content
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Mature Content: Motherhood
Mother’s Day just passed, and I’m thinking about the mothers I met during my 35 years of work on behalf of neglected and abused children. Patricia’s was the first case I assigned to myself after Humboldt County, California, hired me to develop its new Child Protective Services program. Her little girl was in foster care […]
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Mature Content: A loon in interesting times
One day, during the time of COVID, as my granddaughter and I walked she told me about her family’s spirit animals. And she, of course, asked me about mine. Until then, thinking about such things was of no interest to me. Jokingly, my immediate response was, “I am clearly a loon.” She didn’t yet have […]
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Mature Content: Vision 2050
In the 1990s, I wanted my business to contribute more effectively to my community, so I invested a year in the Teams, Management and Leadership Program (TMLP). There, I learned that to succeed I needed clear goals, a plan to reach them and a “next step.” Although plans rarely go as planned, they provide focus, […]
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Mature Content: Storied lives
When my congregation talked about the power of stories last Sunday, I remembered this one. By the time I was 3, it was difficult for my mother to make me behave, so she used drastic measures. She told me she would have to send me to Reform School if I misbehaved.Confronted by my willfulness, she […]
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Mature Content: Science, reason and local government
Editor’s note: The opinions, including political endorsements, of columnists do not reflect those of The Sopris Sun. As a career healthcare provider, I believe in science; that is, in ideas and beliefs that have been subjected to persistent, unsuccessful attempts to disprove them. As a scientist, my mind is open to questions and new information. […]
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Mature Content: Dear Mandy,
Mandy and I chatted after a concert last week. She told me that she usually likes this column, but she wasn’t so sure about the last one. Kind of a downer, she thought. The column was about death becoming an ever more present companion when we are old. It was about losing loved ones and […]
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Mature Content: Living the end stage
A medical team stopped and restarted my heart a few weeks ago, trying to stop its atrium from fibrillating. I considered this a drastic measure, but it didn’t work. It rarely does, with people my age. Consequently, I’ve scheduled even more drastic measures.My cardiac reboot took place two days after a close friend’s memorial service. […]
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Mature Content: The rest of the story
Remember my marijuana farm from last month’s column? I used that story to make a point about conditions along Highway 133 but probably left you wondering, “How did Kokish resolve the job thing? After burning the plants, wasn’t he still stuck in a soul-crushing bureaucracy?” I want to tell you how that turned out, but […]
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Mature Content: Jack’s guide for aging badly
By Sue Zislis My dear friend Jack, now 83 years old, has been a decent enough man. He had a rewarding career, a family and a lovely home in a beautiful neighborhood. Jack, however, always had a stubborn streak a mile wide.He never acknowledged needing help. He never considered adjusting his lifestyle to match his […]