Author: Steve Ainslie

I have come to the collusion that 95% of online content is regurgitated pap or else completely made up. This includes what’s published on legitimate sites like WebMD and BBB to forums, user comments and reddit. People are quick to publish whatever they are thinking, as if it is factual. If you don’t believe this,…

I still think about Ellen nearly every day. The good memories have supplanted the awful ones from the final eight months of our lives together. I cherish these memories. We created a wonderful life. I’ve noticed that I only have a desperate longing for her now when I am in an emotionally agitated state. When…

Although I turned off the email notices for newly adoptable small dogs in my area, I haven’t been able to resist checking Petfinder everyday – just in case the “perfect” dog for me shows up. This weekend, at least 4 chihuahua mix breed dogs popped up at local places. They were cute, but because they…

I don’t play slot machines. There’s too many times that you pull the lever and lose. The enticing part about slot machines is that, every once in a while, it will come up three cherries. For me, that rare occasion is not worth the frustration of all the losing attempts. Sometimes, I am playing the…

A neighbor who lives down the street is an avid walker (and a mensch). He takes many walks around the block while stopping to check in with neighbors, chat with other walkers and to help out like put away peoples cash bins or blow the leaves off someones driveway. He’s a smart man. Our conversations…

Losing Snickers last month made me realize that some holes inside of us can never be filled. When my wife died, a piece of me died with her and left a hole. The same thing happened when Snickers died last week. Those holes will always be part of me. I wish I could fill them…

Everything in moderation sounds like a reasonable approach to life. The only problem is that it never worked for me. What is moderation? When I used to drink, news reports on alcohol recommended that an adult shouldn’t drink more than 2 drinks per day. At the time, many articles promoted red wine and even drinking…

Two different incidents caught my attention recently. The first was an article about a Lizzo concert in Raleigh. The second was when I watched a local Pittsburgh newscast while I was dog-sitting for my neighbor. I like some of Lizzo’s music. Jerome, Good As Hell, and ‘Cause I Love You are among my favorite pop…

An old friend called me yesterday to talk about his relationship woes with an ex-girlfriend. I listened attentively and sympathetically for a while. Then I made a stupid mistake. I told him what I do when confronted with similar feelings. I told him what I thought based on his struggles over the past few years…

Everything happens for a reason. It was meant to be. God has a plan. It will all work out in the end. I don’t buy it.I used to believe in aphorisms like these. Not anymore.  The older I get, the more I have come to believe that life is made up of a lot of…