I was contemplating the scariest thing about being alive, not for me, but for everyone. It’s easy to imagine scary things that could kill you, like facing down a bear or being buried alive. Those are both scary. But what about just being alive from five minutes ago to now? Life’s Symbols We agree to believe in symbols. The letter a is a letter a, and 1 is the loneliest number. But it’s all made up. It looks nice, but it’s not real. Symbols are pointers to ideas, not reality. The almighty dollar isn’t mighty if you’re in the desert. A tall glass of water will always beat symbols. ...

I have a hard time slowing down. I have ADHD, and since I quit drinking, I’ve had an overabundance of energy. This morning I found a fallout four recipe book, that helps one pretend they’re cooking recipes in the video game. My daughter, who’s playing Fallout 4, was so thrilled when I showed it to her. We cooked Yum Yum Deviled Eggs first. We loved cooking the eggs so much that we had another recipe queued up. That sounds like a happy story, but that’s half of it. Buckle in as I illustrate one of the most complicated aspects of ADHD. ...

Purpose Once upon a time, I wondered. What is my purpose? No longer and never again. I realized my purpose. To define my purpose or have it find me ill-prepared. To this day, I struggle with this truth. I work for others to feed my family while knowing what I must do. I must run my company to give others purpose and help them define their purpose. I must stop those who would steal life; from those who only care about winning, money, and control—all synonyms for power. ...

It’s sad how kids behave these days. I know kids bullied each other in the past, but it seems different now. My daughter wanted to ride the bus for the experience, and she received a lesson in bullying. She came home with stories about the bully. The bully yelled in her ear while calling her names and was rude to everyone on the bus. Luckily my daughter stood up for herself and said. ...

I have six to eight months to live. It’s my new mantra, but I don’t know if I do. I’ve always tried to live life to the fullest. However, I’m almost fifty, so it’s time to turn it to eleven. Priorities I’ve mulled the concept of prioritization for a couple of years. I read The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People and learned about the quadrants, and I’ve become much better at prioritization. However, we can continually improve as humans. ...