How do racial equity matters impact your interest in professional sports?

“We all have different hearts and hands; heads holding various views. Don’t you see? Different is beautiful and together is beautiful too.” (Andy Warhol)

There’s a perplexing problem lingering now in 2025 concerning the degree to which diversity, equity, and inclusion should continue to be promoted at all levels of government in our country. As one glaring example, consider that President Trump last week issued an executive order ending official recognition of all activities and events which celebrate Black History month in February this year. A few days later, he reversed himself and retracted  his words. But one must reasonably ponder why did he find reason to approve this “white supremacist” decree in the first place, considering it seems radically “out of touch” with what’s happening, “demographic wise”, in our country today? As a result, he’s aroused the ire of thousands of protestors who now gather in America’s city streets to demonstrate this executive action and many others that have been recently forced upon this country.

So I’d like to re-frame the issue of diversity in a more realistic sense. Know that the Super Bowl has evolved over the years to embrace high level competition with positive racial progress in mind.To illustrate that diversity trend, take a look at my featured photo above which showcases that two black quarterbacks, for the first time in Super Bowl history, will be leading their teams as the opposing “signal-callers” this Sunday (Patrick Mahomes and Jaylen Hurts). It’s also notable that eight quarterbacks of black racial origin have excelled in Super Bowl action for their teams in the fifty nine year history of this widely popular event. Take a closer look at some of their milestone football accomplishments by clicking on the website below.

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/complete-history-of-black-qbs-in-the-super-bowl-from-doug-williams-to-historic-chiefs-vs-eagles-rematch/

So enjoy the football action and halftime pageantry on Sunday.  But I also urge you to take some time then to take a “hard look” at our President, who will be an attendee at the game. Will he open his “eyes and ears” to this spectacular showing of diversity that day or is does it proceed as just another “reality  show”, staged publicity appearance? 

How much time do you spend trying to make your life perfect?

“The pursuit of perfection often impedes improvement.”(George Will)

I rode my bike on this crisp South Florida morning around our new condo complex looking for the perfect place to rest. I settled for a park bench on a gently rising ridge overlooking an old oak tree strand. But then after a few minutes sitting there, it occurred to me that I enjoyed looking at this habitat’s imperfections as some trees stood  flimsily crooked and others lay seasonally dead. Taking wild nature’s cue on this matter then, I wrote the following poem.

PERFECTION’S UNDOING

I gaze upward nightly in awe of magical cosmic dust

 

But often fail to notice steady neighbors I can trust.

 

I descend far below to fear earth shaking heat

 

But miss kicking fires out just under my feet

 

I look back to mimic time’s eventful chains  
                                  

But rarely gather up human losses or gains 

 

I feel passion ahead hoping future utopia arises 

 

But ignore subtle smiles as intrinsic prizes

 

Stop trying to struggle surpassing the status quo

 

Let inner peace grow to enjoy life’s flow

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What’s one personal image about your town or city  that reminds you of being at home?

“Home is where the heart is.” (Pliny the Elder)

Sometimes when I travel long distances on those road trips for months at a time, I experience sudden feelings of homesickness. Strong memories of being back home in Florida typically accentuate then when I’m driving and playing music along the way. But not just any kind of music! It might for instance be a stirring protest song like Jimi Hendrix’s  “Star Spangled Banned” rendition to remind me how I fought injustice during turbulent times happening while attending University  in Tampa during the Vietnam War era. Or perhaps I’ll feel stronger in hearing a  Michael Jackson tune such as “Beat It”, which invokes reminders of my past struggles to teach inner city kids in downtown Miami. 

So consider how a traveling band might similarly decide to title themselves with a city, state, or country whose past emotional impact on them inspires their creative musical talents. For wherever they play near or far, their performances become filled with “catchy” song lyrics and impressive stage components that provide clues to their passionate attachment to that special place.

In fact, I’ve determined there may be hundreds of bands currently operating in the United  States that operate under such place name titles.So let’s look at little deeper into the reasoning for seven bands being so geographically associated. First study carefully some attached photos below. Following each image, look at the information about the band’s name, musical genre and one particular song of interest here. Finally, click on the link that follows for each of them, to observe some visual clues and song lyric meanings presented. See if you can guess why each location can be conceivably considered each band’s special musical home. 

Rock n’ Roll – Random Cats Memphis (One Night In Memphis)

https://youtu.be/Rr2K8lPLbxk?si=c412k5GTC78HmNkh

Classic Rock – Chicago (Take Me Back To Chicago)

https://youtu.be/7GOXPTkjCwE?si=12kGloSk_2pDwkJj

Progressive Rock – Kansas (Dust In The Wind)

https://youtu.be/-w5WQQ8Yqmw?si=eBV4S72W55iGIH9f

Rap/Hip Hop  – Winnipeg’s Most (All That I Know)

https://youtu.be/5VAF3ypMS84?si=mdH22StkJMJ-RwQr

Jazz- Manhattan Transfer (Boy From New York City)

https://youtu.be/5ZF6m659-z0?si=fkrikwMBMh9lONDJ

Country – Florida/Georgia Line (Round Here)

https://youtu.be/p1oL37ycONQ?si=kIgTcA5iVnx8XDP7

Latin Pop – Miami Sound Machine (Rhythm Is Gonna Get You)

https://youtu.be/6NwVD8RbS6Y?si=Wl9LaKtP2gqct85X

 

 

What do you miss most as you endure the long wrath of wintertime? 

“Just living is not enough…one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.” (Hans Christian Anderson)

I’ve been thinking lately how fortunate it’s been for me to enjoy the great outdoors in the heart of winter season this year. For I’m again enjoying temperate weather conditions in South Florida while most  of the country lies dormant in extreme cold conditions. I might have considered Southern California as another place to find balmy weather now, but those ravaging fires recently represent a serious safety threat to those who attempt to venture outside. Even in the desert environs of Arizona, the higher elevations for so many communities would likely produce extreme weather risk.

To exemplify my point, in scanning through a plethora of Broward, Dade, and Palm Beach County happenings last weekend, I felt very confident that I could find something to do spontaneously in the open air with Ruth at a  nominal cost. With weather conditions calm, I could prepare casually as usual by wearing my short pants, perhaps a Hawaiian shirt and sneakers. Parking lots would of course be likely full but that would be no big deal. For in stretching my legs a bit more to and from a vehicle space farther out, I’d be taking the time then to more fully enjoy our interesting subtropical flora and fauna. 

So I call to attention all of you  “snowbirds” to feel what fun it felt like to soak up some “sun rays” as I chose to do in “country bumpkin” fashion at a local Strawberry Festival last weekend. I suspect that you would have then enjoyed exchanging  those slushy piles of snow removal you plow through now with the opportunity to  pick fresh fruit in these gorgeously green fields. Other luscious fruits and flowers in season featured at the venue’s farmers market  might similarly have been entering your mind as well as you stared at those dead leafless trees of yours in frigid January.       

You’d probably also grown weary of being cooped up  with your family and pets for extended times in your window shut home. So you might have felt a strong urge to amuse yourself with an animal or two in this fair’s  petting zoo to enjoy some fresh air conditions. For the same reason, those kids of yours would probably be getting restless at home on those long winter days as well.Thus, I’d further reason you’d be thrilled at the chance  to let them go outdoors to play in the sand  or build something harmless there.

So why wait for springtime to arrive? Just shed those winter coats and boots, break a smile, and come on down south where there’s always plenty you can fancy doing at any time  The “Sunshine State” awaits you.! As a side note of Florida interest, coming up in late February will be the much larger Strawberry Festival in Plant City. Check out the link below. Enjoy the photos.

https://flstrawberryfestival.com/

What are your thoughts about the meaning of the Presidential Inauguration event this year?

“Our lives begin to end when we become silent about things that matter.” (Dr. Martin Luther King)

On March 31,1968, Dr. Martin Luther King delivered his famous speech, “Remaining Awake Through a Great Revolution” at the National Cathedral In Washington D.C. He made prophetic references then to the legend of Rip Van Winkle, who went into a long sleep of twenty years to grow old and thus missed out on so much of what might have made his life meaningful.

Such thoughts inspired me to write an original poem which explores the perplexing contradiction of celebrating D. Trump’s  Presidential inauguration and “MLK” holiday on the same day this year. 

 

INAUGURATION DAY IMPRESSIONS

 

Like Sleeping Our Life Away 

 

As Winkle Turned Olden Gray

 

His Prophecy Once Foretold Our Fate        
                             

As Dulled Minds Took Stage Show Bait

 

Where Privileged Few Took Power

 

While Masses Lay Idle In Cower

 

MLK Once Sensed An America In Pain 

 

Spread By Such Apathy’s Ugly Stain

 

So Let Us Heed His Wake-up Call

 

To Fight Injustice And Freedom’s Fall 

How do you typically act in encounters with wild animals that appear outside your home?

“I wanted to talk to the animals like Dr. Doolittle.” (Jane Goodall) 

On our third day in St. Petersburg last week, we visited Seaside Seabird Sanctuary, filled with injury protected  birds like pelicans, egrets, owls, and herons. Many of them were confined humanely in cages but a few others surprisingly roamed freely in open spaces around the facility. Know that in spite of their weakened conditions, these unconfined few lacked fear in facing human interaction. I thus found some rare opportunities to study them more closely than expected. 

Thus picking  up on some expressive non verbal behaviors of these lucky outsiders posing between the cages, here’s what I have imagined a few of them had to say to me in the photo set  below.

“ I dare you to stand on one foot like me.”

“Can you pass me a brush? I’ve got an itch on my back I can’t reach.”

“Ok, follow me. Here’s where you need to go first.”

“Please to meet you madam. Could you pass me a fish?”

“Hey Myrtle, wake up! Take a look at that guy’s beautiful shoes!”

Let your attention be guided by the natural colors of the sunset? What do you feel most?

“A sunset will color your dreams.” (Anthony Hincks)

Last week, I absorbed a heavy dose of authentic Spanish culture on our excursion to historic Ybor City near downtown Tampa, Florida.With flashy feathered roosters crowing proudly to greet my presence, my tour first followed a cobblestone pathway  to a semicircular floral courtyard. Along the way, I’d noticed interesting combinations of red, orange, yellow, and brown painted on columns, doors, walls.

I next made a brief visit to the Ybor City Museum State Park, filled with flashy hue displays of posters, flags, and other rare cultural artifacts. I took a particular interest then in Cuba’s  cigar influence from Tampa’s industrial past. Such sensory overload continued for me at lunchtime as I indulged in a crispy Cuban sandwich and table prepared mixed salad in decorative elegance at the historic Columbia Restaurant. Gazing around indoors and outdoors during this unique dining experience, I pictured a glowing radiance of gold, silver, and other riches as manifested in the Spanish conquistador tradition. With good luck on a future visit to Columbia, I look forward to experiencing the multicolored passion of Flamenco dance performances in the dining area at my leisure.

So I’d found plenty to like about the Ybor City on our latest travel jaunt. For in absorbing its full spectrum of sunset colors around town, the exotic blend of Latin American aromas, sights, and sounds came alive for me on this day.  

Related You Tube Links:

https://youtu.be/f3lGO7VbPsw?si=1apIg3IuZYtUKSdy

https://youtu.be/T-QmLa5_4QQ?si=JApEc1pA8q-_dKbJ

Write about something you did opposite than expected today.

“Every next level of your life will demand a different you.” (Leonardo DiCaprio)

I don’t typically like to do much on beaches except plant myself on a shady spot and “chill”. I might even say that because I usually find the heat and humidity uncomfortable most days in South Florida, I’m overall blasé at home about swimming, fishing, and other shoreline leisure activities. So during this week of our mini vacation to the Gulf coast region near St. Petersburg,  I anticipated finding time to just sit on the beach and read. However, I reason the “chilly” weather I experienced this week likely convinced me to change my beach routine.     

I’d thus surprised myself on this morning by taking a brisk walk at Coquina Beach near Bradenton. How different it felt to bend down at various points along the sandy shoreline to pick up interesting seashells! Two days later driving northward to Redington Shores Beach, my turn toward opposite behavior along cool salty waters continued as I allotted over an hour roaming around a private avian sanctuary to interact with colonies of wild birds. Both of these activities in retrospect seemed to loosen up my knee issues at the time. They’d also taught me a life lesson then that by “shaking up” my daily routine with such “Another You” moments of contrast, I could relax more outside in my spare time back home.

Continue reading “Pandora’s Box Aversion” →