Dreaming Dreams
My dream looks like this.
Bobby Kennedy was the single most important mentor in my life. Additionally, his words, either written or spoken, have been guideposts for me. Bobby was able to put words to what was spinning around in my mind or to help me better understand various issues. I have benefited from his example in his life as I journeyed down the yellow brick road of my life.
Additionally, Bobby was a father to my generation. He motivated millions of whites during the civil rights movement in the 60s. He was able to see as a white person much of what blacks were facing. He could speak to blacks in America and in the South Africa during apartheid. Regardless of race and other differences, he listened, he instructed, and he helped millions of Americans and many millions more throughout the world.
The single sentence that spoke to me the most was what Bobby said about dreaming. “Some men see things as they are and say, why; I dream things that never were and say, why not.” That sentence focused me and my generation as we faced seemingly insurmountable problems like racism, poverty, and the war in Vietnam.
While dreaming dreams is critical, realizing one’s dreams needs more than merely dreaming. Dreams take work in addition to the dream. Dreaming isn’t a wasted effort. Nevertheless, effort to realize a dream is critical. Without effort, one is merely daydreaming.
In my twilight years, the picture of the lake with mountains in the background is the most important of all my dreams. Before I run out of anymore bricks on my yellow brick road of life, I want to create a small utopian experiment. I’m going to bring together all my family members together from various countries throughout the world. Some live in Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and America, but they all are family. Maybe the utopian experiment might motivate others to be more inclusive about who makes up their family.
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What If....
It's All About My Mantra.
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11/13/24 |
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It's a Long, Long Road
From Which There is No Return
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11/04/24 |
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What I Admire about Kamala
And How She Will Change America
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10/25/24 |
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Professor Keating and I
We Both Took Mrs. Davis’s English Class
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10/07/24 |
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Another Eureka Moment
Thank You, Nancy
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09/30/24 |
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Discovering a Mentor
In a Field of Dreams
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09/13/24 |
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Becoming a Monkey King
It's More Than Mere Monkey Business
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09/04/24 |
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Destiny or Fate
It is Another Either/Or Issue
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08/16/24 |
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Lessons Learned in Former British Colonies
Like America, South Africa, and Myanmar
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07/31/24 |
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The Third Old Man
Or Three Coins in the Fountain of Life
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07/29/24 |
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A Poem for Ti Ti
Who is Now Twenty
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06/02/24 |
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Repeating the Past
Make Sure You Understand the Past
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05/24/24 |
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The Flying Dutchman
Then and Now
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05/03/24 |
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Field of Dreams
A Haunting Return
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04/24/24 |
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Standing on the Hill
Our Human Destiny
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03/20/24 |
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Träumerei
Then and Now
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03/15/24 |
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Music and Me
The Cost of Love Then and Now
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03/01/24 |
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My Hill of Beans Paradox
Created by the James Webb Space Telescope
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01/26/24 |
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My Birthday
And the Age of Aquarius
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01/24/24 |
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What’s It All About...
The Paradox of Life
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12/29/23 |
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Unexpected Events
Can Create Opportunities for Greatness
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12/25/23 |
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Why Write?
Answers from Vonnegut and Faulkner
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12/20/23 |
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PaPa Al’s Reply
To Ti Ti’s Posting, I Love Education
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12/15/23 |
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The Paradox of Learning
It Is an Either/Or Knowledge Base
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12/13/23 |
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My Yin Yang World
Dreams vs. Reality
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12/08/23 |
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If I Were Q
I’d Tell the Whole Story of the Téméraire
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11/08/23 |
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Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night
A Lesson Taught by Dylan Thomas
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11/06/23 |
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The Reason for Being
An Either/Or Situation
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11/03/23 |
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The Ripple Effect
An Either/Or Issue
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11/01/23 |
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Breath of Fresh Air
From My Web Administrator
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10/20/23 |
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Me and My Echocardiogram
Beyond a Diagnosis
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10/18/23 |
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Lawrence of Arabia...
A Mentor of Mine
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10/11/23 |
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My World of Xanadu
Another Personal Parallel Essay
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09/20/23 |
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Ti Ti’s Surprising Email
To Her Grandfather
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09/18/23 |
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Tyson’s Two Thoughts
Regarding AI and a Ticking Clock
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09/15/23 |
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Holding Hands with Neal Katyal
What My Teacher Taught Me
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08/21/23 |
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The Clown Car Drivers
Are Driving Scared
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06/30/23 |
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The Tree in the Silo
A Metaphor of Me
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06/23/23 |
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Pick Mentors Carefully
The Lady and Bobby
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06/02/23 |
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A Suggestion of a Mentor
A Sequel to Picking a Mentor Article
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04/07/23 |
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Pick Mentors Carefully
The Lady and Bobby
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06/02/23 |
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A Suggestion of a Mentor
A Sequel to Picking a Mentor Article
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04/07/23 |
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Music Explains Me
Music Drives Me
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03/03/23 |
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Problems are Assets
Seize the Problems
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12/09/22 |
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A Soccer and Hockey Game
What’s the Take Away?
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12/05/22 |
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My Way
Morphing to My Mentoring
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12/02/22 |
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My Twilight Hauntings...
About Immortality
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11/25/22 |
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A Message from Missoula
And the Dangling Dog
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11/04/22 |
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Growing Up Without Transparency
And Finally Discovering It
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10/14/22 |
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Facing Storms of Life
Another Either/Or Situation
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10/07/22 |
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Picking Mentors
It Will Change Your Life
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09/09/22 |
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Seeing Things More Clearly
On My Yellow Brick Road
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08/22/22 |
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Hoosier’s Neighbor?
The Ultimate Question
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08/17/22 |
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A Lesson About Life…
Don’t Fear Death…
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07/24/22 |
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I Love Teaching…
Here in Myanmar or Anywhere
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05/09/22 |
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Ti Ti, the Driven
An Exceptional Young Lady
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05/04/22 |
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Grasping Reality
While My Clock Is Ticking
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04/29/22 |
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Diversity Visas
What’s That All About, Alfie?
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04/24/22 |
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Acclimating to the New World
In Mt. Lebanon, Taunggyi, and Crown Point
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04/20/22 |
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Building Castles in the Sky
Pushing the Limits of Possibility
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04/13/22 |
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Ti Ti’s Yogi-ism
“It’s Like Déjà Vu All Over Again.”
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04/06/22 |
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I Have Miles to Go
Before I Sleep
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04/04/22 |
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Seeing the Future
At Least Three Times
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03/30/22 |
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My Family in Myanmar:
A Sequel to What’s It All About
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03/28/22 |
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Two Views of the Ides of March
One for Caesar and One for My Family
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03/14/22 |
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History Is Repetitious
Then and Now
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02/21/22 |
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My Personality Quirks…
I Have Several
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02/16/22 |
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The Tale of My Foot
Years Ago and Today
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02/11/22 |
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Parallels Between Myanmar and America
Even Though They Are On the Other Side of the World
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02/04/22 |
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My Dream of Diversity
In the Footsteps of Bobby
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02/02/22 |
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My Dreamland
During My Operation
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01/19/22 |
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Coming to America
A Dream of Many
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01/17/22 |
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A Reason for Being…
The Most Important Reason for My Being
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12/31/21 |
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Christmas:
Past, Present, and Future
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12/24/21 |
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Two Dreamers...
Discuss the Way the World Should Be
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12/08/21 |
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Moh Moh’s Roles in Our Family:
My Daughter and My Mother
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12/06/21 |
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Archimedes and the Syracusia
It’s All About Dreaming
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12/01/21 |
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Waking Up…
To Getting Old
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11/29/21 |
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A New World Order
The World from Campbell’s Perspective
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11/01/21 |
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The Duality of Changing
Times Change, and We Change
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10/22/21 |
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Having a Purposeful Life
Another Sequel About Dreaming
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10/20/21 |
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Societal Dreaming
Delayed but Not Dashed
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10/18/21 |
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A Dream Delayed
Or a Dream Dashed
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10/13/21 |
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“I’m Doing the Dance”
The Title of Ti Ti’s Poem
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09/03/21 |
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A Follow-Up to Snow’s Email
Another Teaching Moment
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07/26/21 |
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Happy Birthday, Snow
Time To Remember
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07/21/21 |
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If They See the Goblin…
They Might Also See Planet X.
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06/23/21 |
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More Apologies Expressed
To My Physicians
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06/21/21 |
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Reincarnation of Ra-Ra…
Reincarnation of Ra-Ra… |
05/14/21 |
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Learning from Collecting
Written by a Collector of Treasures |
04/16/21 |
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My Quest to Find Meaning Life
My Search for My Holy Grail |
04/07/21 |
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As Kierkegaard Said
It Is Either/Or |
04/05/21 |
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I Live in Two WorldsI Have Benefited from One World |
03/22/21 |
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What’s It All About Aldie My Haunting Question |
03/19/21 |
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Teaching Moments TodayAnd Teaching Moments for the Future |
03/15/21 |
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Who Is That Lady in Yellow?A 21st Century Eppie |
02/01/21 |
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Stopping in the WoodsWhile Dreaming Dreams |
01/27/21 |
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Purposeful LivesOn Steroids |
01/13/21 |
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A Secret About LifeHow To Be Successful |
12/21/20 |
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Remembering the PastSpring Follows Winter |
12/02/20 |
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The Importance of the Sound of Music…According to Nietzsche and Me |
10/26/20 |
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Hear Ye, Hear Ye…Ti Ti Is Starting College Today! |
10/16/20 |
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The Devil Made Me Do It. A Presidential Duet |
10/09/20 |
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This Is an AddendumTi Ti, the Bridge Builder |
09/25/20 |
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From Then to NowWhat a Difference Seven Years Has Made |
09/23/20 |
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Masks Matter…To Some |
09/16/20 |
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Two PoemsBy Two Ladies |
09/14/20 |
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There Is More to Dreaming…Than Just Dreaming |
08/07/20 |
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"Give Me a Place to Stand...And I Will Move the World.” |
07/20/20 |
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Regarding Dancing with CoronavirusCampbell’s Five Commandments
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03/25/20 |
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I Don’t Like FailingModus Operandi |
03/13/20 |
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My Swan SongAnd My Family’s Swan Song |
01/17/20 |
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Perspective
What You See Is What You Get.
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09/20/19
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Another Déjà Vu
In the Arts and Philosophy
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06/07/19
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Hanging My Problem on My Lantern
Contacting Clarence Page
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04/12/19
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Hanging My Problem on My Lantern
Contacting Rod Stewart
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04/10/19
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Dreaming….
About My Moment in Time
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03/11/19
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One Moment in Time
Carpe Diem
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03/04/19
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Tintern Abbey
Viewed by Wordsworth and Turner
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02/18/19
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Light at the End of the Tunnel
However, the Tunnel is an Illusion
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02/06/19
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The Wall Issue
The True Value of a Wall
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01/14/19
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Pa Pa Al’s Grandfatherly Advice
To Ti Ti Who Doesn’t Need It.
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01/11/19
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A New Year’s Eve
With a New Resolution for the Coming Year
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12/31/18
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It’s All About Family
I Agree with John Lewis |
12/17/18
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The Magnificent Seven…
My Dream Team
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12/07/18
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On Making Your Mark
And Leaving It
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10/22/18
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Rhythm of My Heart
Here and Abroad
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10/03/18
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Be a Dreamer....
And Never Quit Dreaming.
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08/10/18
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Dreaming
The Drug for Realizing Your Hopes |
11/07/18
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Lack of Leadership
In Turbulent Times |
11/02/18
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The Ripple Effect…
“…Can Sweep Down the Mightiest Walls.”
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07/23/18
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Ti Ti and Her Family
My Assistants in Myanmar
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05/28/18
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Forrester and Jamal
You and I
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05/11/18
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Dear PaPa Al.....
Dear Ti Ti
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04/16/18
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Bobby’s Suggestion About My Problems…
A School in Taunggyi, Myanmar
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04/06/18
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The Question Is…
How Will You Be Remembered?
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02/26/18
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What Would You Attempt To Do
If You Knew You Could Not Fail?
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02/21/18
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An Age of Revolution
If We But Know What To Do With It
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02/16/18
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The Water Horse of Loch Ness
And Our Water Horses of Life
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02/07/18
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Moh Moh, Tin Tin, and Me
We Are the Incarnations of Bobby
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01/31/18
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Lesson Learned About Dreaming
I Learned from Bobby
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01/22/18
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Bobby the Runt
Turned into Bobby the Leader
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01/17/18
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My Thoughts about the Meaning of Life
My Perspective from My Twilight Years
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01/05/18
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America
As Bobby, Moh Moh, and the Jazz Singer See It
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12/25/17
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Doing the Dance...
Fathoming the Unfathomable.
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12/11/17
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Lawrence of Arabia
One of My Mentors
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10/06/17
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Me and My Shrink
Dealing With What Drives Me
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08/16/17
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Ti Ti and I
A Most Haunting Relationship
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08/04/17
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The Benefit of Failed Dreams
The Dalai Lama’s Oxymoron
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06/19/17
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Frobisher’s Quests
The Northwest Passage and Gold
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05/31/17
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Shrimp Can Whistle
"I dream things that never were and say, why not."
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03/08/17
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Kennedy Socks
Presidents and Camelot
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02/20/17
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I'm Hanging My Lantern
For All To See
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12/23/16
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We Shall Overcome
A Belief Amid Darkness
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07/18/16
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I am Don Quixote
But I Am Not from La Mancha
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04/15/16
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Could I Have This Dance...
For the Rest of My Life?
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03/11/16
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The Value of Dreaming
About My List of Dulcineas
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02/12/16
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Do You Have Any Suggestions...
On Planning My New Life?
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05/18/13
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Bobby Kennedy
Still Reaches Out to Us.
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07/29/16
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Rewriting History
To Fit Our Notions
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04/22/16
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Bobby or the Donald
Picking Mentors
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03/14/16
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Two Roads in the Wood
Choose Wisely
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02/26/16
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Revitalizing My Brain
After Winding Up in ICU
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01/25/16
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Doubling Down...
To Make Dreams Come True
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10/19/15
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It Is About How You Lead Your Life
Start With Refining Words
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05/11/15
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Dare to Dream
Even When Dreams are Delayed
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01/09/15
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Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream
The Disconnect Between Dreaming and Reality
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12/26/14
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Serendipity...
Finding Without Looking
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12/12/14
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Wolverton Mountain
The Place Where Dreams Occur
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09/26/14
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Darkest Before Dawn
A Logical Disconnect that Is True
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08/15/14
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The Value of Dreaming
Instructions from My Cardiologist...
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02/14/14
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What Makes Me Tick
Finally, an Explanation
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07/12/15
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Lawrence of Arabia
A Mentor of Mine
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10/18/13
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Bonhoeffer—Crossing the Line...
Thank You: Dietrich, Bobby and Barack
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11/20/12
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Lean on Me
An Open Letter to My Grandson
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11/11/11
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Bobby and Barack
Election of Barack Obama
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09/28/08
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