Author: Steve Ainslie

There has been a lot of pontification, hand-wringing and outright whining about economic conditions for Millenials and Gen Zs who have recently entered the US workforce. At the top of the complaint lists are: costs for college education, housing prices/rent, gas, groceries and consumer goods. I grew up poor living in lower class neighborhoods. I…

I am reading the book, Substitute : going to school with a thousand children, by Nicholson Baker in which he details 28 days he spent as a substitute teacher in Maine public schools covering all grades, subjects, and teaching roles. He wrote about applying to obtain a substitute teaching certificate, 5:30AM “on call” requests, covering…

Quitting dating apps 2 years ago was undoubtedly the right move for me. I’m glad I tried the apps and I’m proud that I had the guts to give dating a shot after being married for 29 years. My 4 month experience gave me insight into dating after being widowed, dating in middle age and…

I received a letter from the local government about a public hearing regarding my local utility company’s proposed merger with another company. It listed the hearing date/time along with two full pages of bureaucratic legalize, why’s, wherefore’s and herein’s regarding the purpose of the notice. My takeaway after reading the letter is that there is…

I was listening to a podcast where stepparents called in seeking advice for dealing with their stepchildren. The callers described problems with their stepchildren acting out, breaking boundaries, being disobedient, being disrespectful, etc. They spoke of kids who were “fine” when the stepparent was a boyfriend or girlfriend, but suddenly became antagonistic when the stepparent…

This morning while walking the dogs I was thinking about recent news podcasts where the reporters were pointing out how specific politicians were being hypocritical. It doesn’t really matter who they were referencing. You can select any politician, from any country and any political party and find examples of this. It occurred to me that…

Roughly 60% of people in the US are Christian. In my home state of North Carolina, that number jumps to 77%. It’s no wonder that I see so many yard signs, flags, bumper stickers and decorations with declarations about Jesus, prayer, churches and Christian beliefs. So I am not surprised when people routinely discuss their…

Having moved over a dozen times in my life, bought and sold 7 different homes, made money and lost money on investments, and held a dozen different jobs, I have frequently lamented my “bad timing”. My timing wasn’t all bad. What I’ve learned is that I have no control over doing something at the “right…

Ever since I was a little kid, I wanted to be a cowboy. I loved the idea of riding horses across the plains, catching cattle with my lasso, wearing six-shooters that I could quick draw and hit a 50 cent coin tossed in the air, being on alert for ambush from Indians, etc. My fantasy…

Lately I’ve read several books about artists, craftsman and tradespeople who eschewed a typical career path to instead become a “maker”. Their careers included custom motorcycle builder, pottery artist, glassblower, blacksmith, wooden table maker, handmade jeans creator, stone carver, knife maker, clock maker and calligraphist. Some of them were drawn to their craft from an…