Life’s Roller Coaster!… Easter! April 1st! Youthful celebration! Senior demise. Our inevitable life cycle. We can choose to delay and deflect, but only for so long. Life is short, unfair…but well worth the living. Our children amuse and inspire us. Our seniors validate the extended effort. We’re the products of those best efforts. We’ve got choices. Let’s strive to choose wisely…

I’m usually not one to bore you with “what I did on my vacation.” But I recently ran across these images from a great adventure with my son Clayton, and thought it would be fun to share. I know that many of you have enjoyed your experience in the Grand Canyon. This was ours…ENJOY!

Art is where you find it…how and where you engage. We are blessed with the diversity of creative expression and have unlimited opportunities to experience same…if we only pay attention. That’s our personal challenge…a small price to pay for an enhanced lifetime of enriched experience. My best to you as you open your heart and mind’s eye to the benefits of engagement with art…wherever you find it…

It’s that time of the Season for New Year’s Resolutions. Always an interesting challenge to address, ponder, pontificate and ignore…though we know we should know better. So, no matter our previous success record, we should examine our efforts and determine to improve. Our communities need our best selves, and resolutions such as these can improve our odds for success. Come join me and consider your possibilities.

Wishing you and yours a Happy and Productive New Year!

In a world with a dearth of leaders, it’s always refreshing to discover the unique individual who is making a significant difference by walking the talk…by being a role model for commitment, collaboration and constructive community building. Such is Carol “Mama Carol” Bebelle. Join me for this brief intro, and expand your curiosity at your discretion…And, as Carol would remind us, remember to be kind.

Let me introduce my mining pan metaphor. We’ve got lots of holes to patch in our fragile world. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed with the magnitude of challenge, but we have considerable resources and lots of communal energy to apply to their improvement. It starts with our Friend in the Mirror…joining others in working TOGETHER for constructive change. Our children and communities are counting on us. Let’s rise to our occasion.

If this commentary seems repetitive, it is. We experience the same or similar breaches of government over and over. We know better. We hope for better. Our “leaders” know better. But WE THE PEOPLE don’t rise to our occasion, expect and require better. If we want more progressive results, we’re going to have to pull TOGETHER to make it happen. We can, if we will. Let’s!

The current enthusiasm about the“Oppenheimer” film prompts me to relate some personal family history that you might find of interest. My father and aunt found themselves in Albuquerque for one of the most impactful events in world history. Brother and sister bore witness to top secret developments associated with the Manhattan Project. Join me as I recount some details of this extraordinary chapter.

This is a tough time politically for the good guys and gals…nationally and in many states around the Country. Texas, of course. We have too few responsive leaders, and we’re complicit by allowing these governance charlatans and grifters to have such influence over our present and future. We know how to be better, if we just will. Let’s rise to our occasion. Our communities deserve no less.

SMILES make all the difference. We’re experiencing too much anger, road rage, partisan rancor, community dysfunction with too little spontaneous kindness. We can/must do better. Friendly outreach most usually starts with a smile. Our communities need more of that. Let’s make that happen.…SMILE!

Most of us have our best intentions relative to New Year’s Resolutions. HOWEVER! The “best-laid plans”…”life is what happens while you’re busy making plans,” etc., etc. frequently influence our success. I decided that April One would be a good time for a personal resolution audit. Hopefully, you’ll find this helpful as you honestly assess your progress to date and plan for the future...HAPPY APRIL FIRST!

We are bombarded with the word “accountability” these days, yet we find too little effective accountability in many activities of community and governance. It’s a word that sounds good, but it must be pursued with integrity to make a positive difference. Thanks for joining me as we take a look at the good and the not so good of our quest for “accountability.” We each have roles to play in this process. Let’s honor our opportunities.

Cowboy Hats are a big deal in Austin, in Texas and all around. I’ve had fun through the years meeting those who make the hats, and those who wear them. The following highlights remind us of the wide variety of hats and owners who wind up giving us too much fun…ENJOY!

We’ve all saved 2 or 7 or elevendy t-shirts from our life adventures. Which is fine until we have to reconcile storage in a downsizing environment. I’m frequently poised to delete delete, until awakened memories create a stay of execution. Here are some of my rationales for saving particular shirts. You might find my deliberations helpful. I’m not sure that I did. I just recognize, admire, reflect, fold and put back on the shelf. Maybe you’ll have a better solution. Cause I’m betting you have some maverick t-shirts about. ENJOY!

As you know, I’m NOT a man of few words. However, with maturity comes perspective, and I often find that I can make my points through a healthy balance of words and images…giving credit to those who’ve effectively wrestled with the issues before. A recent Barbara Kruger MOMA installation reminded me of the effectiveness and power of image/word combinations. Hopefully, some will resonate with you…Thanks for your reflection…and time.

It often takes a village, or at least a strong woman or two to influence men, against their natural impulses, on a more wholesome and righteous path. My enlightenment, still a work in constant progress, started with my dear sister Sara. The following highlights my journey to a better me. I’m still on double-secret probation, but there’s some progress, and hope springs, etc., etc. ENJOY!

Let’s be Stars, not just extras and armchair critics. We’ve got a major challenge to wrest our Country and State from the fear-mongering zealots and political opportunists who’ve diminished our Democracy because they could. But, they can’t, if we don’t let them. We’re better than this, and some initiative, civic smarts, leadership and organization skills can help reclaim this Country…OUR Country. We can be the Stars that help this happen. Read on for some constructive ideas. Thanks for joining me.

Many “critters” inhabit this planet that we call home. Most were here before us, but their numbers have been decimated as we fail in our stewardship of them. My travels and life experience have raised my awareness and prompted my conscience as to our obligations to this diversity of life. Enjoy these images, but take serious note of what they represent. The healthy life balance of our world…large and small… relies on our commitment to constructive and thoughtful action relative to our natural environment. We need to act as if the lives of the critters and we humans depend on it. They do.

There are many examples of beauty and inspiration around us at all times, but we’re frequently too busy or preoccupied to notice. Been there, done that. But life tapped me on the heart/shoulder and prompted me to start paying attention…for all the right reasons. Read on, enjoy these images, and reflect on possibilities in your own life. Life is a gift. We can enhance our lives by adding color and texture. It takes intention and practice. To discover. To notice. The benefits are myriad. Enjoy!

We The People have a mess on our hands, with a plethora of significant issues to challenge our experiment at self governance. Covid, Buffalo/Uvalde, Gun Safety, Baby Formula shortage, Immigration, Power Grids, etc… too much divisiveness, hate and fearmongering. It’s up to us to raise our civic games, expect better from our elected officials and ACT…Not just blame and pontificate. The Uvalde kids/teachers should have never had to be the sacrificial lambs to spark significant legislative action. Our Friends In The Mirror can join others to turn this destructive tide…TOGETHER.

We need a reset. We need to slow down, pay attention and finesse our gaming and political strategies to give us better options. We’ve allowed/enabled the political charlatans to keep us off-balance, and we’ve got to reset ourselves, reclaim our political parties, and our systems of government if we wish better outcomes. The action, courage, and spirit of the Ukrainian people should provide sufficient inspiration to encourage our efforts.

When choosing our next action steps, our best prompts may be where we least expect them. That was our experience when we encountered artist Barbara Kruger’s floor tiles at the UCSD Student Center. Join me in the discovery of these unique prompts to reflection. Great catalysts to help us with more effective civic engagement.

What an amazing transformational time in world history. Constructively transformational, if we make it so. We’re also seeing dramatic contrasts in courage and cowardice. Putin and Zelenskyy in real time. Republican “leaders” in Washington D.C. , Florida, Texas , and elsewhere…embarrassing us all. ( OK, most of us.) And in fairness, the Dems have been relatively helpless to counter this national madness. We can hope this international crisis will inform us, scare us, and motivate us to summon our courage, demand better of our government, and LEAD a reclamation of the basic principles that marked the foundation values of this once great Country. I remain optimistic that we have the capacity for constructive change. We just need to rise to our occasion, and rally our Better Angels to strengthen us for the battle. We can look to Ukraine for the motivation. Bless them in their current challenge, and us on our journey to better.

“Let’s Get Smarter!” I love this welcoming invitation from one of our national news pundits. We’ve got to be better informed, so we can be more effectively engaged. Our appointed and elected officials will only do better when we expect better. The Pittsburgh bridge collapse is our perfect metaphor for the broader challenge. Broadbased infrastructure compromised through governmental neglect. Another blatant example of community integrity being threatened by irresponsible leadership. Let’s expect better, and work for it. LET’S GET SMARTER!

Wow! Our one Covid year became two+, and we’re still hoping to wind down this particular challenge over the next few weeks. Then, we can more readily address several lingering governance issues, while noting the emergence of new ones. I contend that we’re ready to rise to our occasion with more inspired leadership and collaborative partnerships. We have the resources…just need the will and commitment. This Mosey commentary should prove helpful in your sorting out your role in this civic challenge. We’re on an erratic learning curve, but I have lots of confidence that we’re poised to do better, to be better, to model better. With no better time to consider our opportunity. Wishing you and yours a Happy, Healthy and Hopeful New Year!

We’ve had a challenging two years, but there are hopeful signs that the worst is behind us. People are hurting, but people are helping. Our Better Angels far outnumber those in the political bully pulpit. We’ve learned a lot, and realize the tremendous leverage of working positively together. Let’s give ourselves some breaks, learn to lighten up and make the most of this last month of another dysfunctional year. Let’s laugh and cry and love and care… TOGETHER. Wishing you and yours a Happy, Healthy and Reflective Holiday Season!

It’s gotten tough to be a Texan, but we can’t give up. There are too many multi-talented good folks who care and expect better, to let a few small-minded politicos determine our destiny. We’ve got to be better informed, committed to work with others to pursue mutual goals, and then take the leaps of faith that might speed our progress. Please join me, read about my “Leap” experience and consider how you might take your personal leap to better. Let’s leap TOGETHER!