Rozey Thorn Trees

In my bachelor days, whenever I visited new cities, I enjoyed wandering off the beaten paths until lost, then eventually finding my way back to familiarity. I ran into all kinds of conspicuous, quaint, and colorful experiences that I fondly remember. Well, here's a  website game  that scratches that itch... : )

"Parents who view themselves as educational coaches tend to read to their children every day when they are small; when their children get older, they talk with them about their days and about the news around the world. They let their children make mistakes and then get right back to work. They teach them good habits and give them autonomy....They want their children to fail while they are still children. They know that those lessons—about hard work, persistence, integrity, and consequences—will serve a child for decades to come."

“What if you wake up some day, and you’re 65… and you were just so strung out on perfectionism and people-pleasing that you forgot to have a big juicy creative life?” —Anne Lamott

I was lost on a road trip the other day, and without my GPS or phone...Panic! Fortunately, the map I keep in the glove compartment rescued me. I'd forgotten about those adventurous days of giant unfolded maps taking up my passenger seat and dashboard space and the guesswork fun of pencil mazed navigation...

Today I make my annual non-charitable contribution to the Parking Violations Bureau of the City of Traverse City. I knew my meter had run out, but I was out of change, enjoying a brewed coffee in a cushy chair, and finally making work progress. What were the chances that a meter cop would bust me in the 10-minute window before the five o'clock free parking? My cousin in Grand Rapids recently told me that she just adds coins to her parking meter using her phone app. Cool! I looked it up. Apparently, we can do it here in TC, too, at a couple locations: https://parkmobile.zendesk.com/entries/21603354-Traverse-City-MI-Parkmobile-Info

If you're struggling with how to title your life memoirs, this title generating website will mock up a book cover and title for you. I got: "MARK A. ROZEBOOM: COURAGE TO AGITATE." More cheesy than life-affirming, but who knows what you'll get.