The BoomerGuy Chronicles

The best boss I had in my working life (1962-2015) was a fella named Carl Gromek, Michigan's State  Court Administrator from 2004 to 2011. I enjoyed working with and for him and learned a lot during our seven  years as colleagues. When he  retired,  I asked him what his plans were. He thought a minute and then said,"You know all those books that you've wanted to read and just never got around to reading? Well,  I've piled them up next to my favorite chair; I intend to read them once I've stopped working here at the Supreme Court."  When we're busy making a living ,  we're required to spend an inordinate amount of time reading. We read letters, memos, reports, strategic plans, professional journals, newspapers, magazines..... In 2022 there are texts and tweets, e-mails and blogs, You Tube videos and Tik Toks, Facebook  and    Linked-In posts.... Since a lot of this stuff is required, 'necessary', we may or may not 'like' what we're r...

St. Patrick's Day passed as March whistled through the Midwest with mere hints of Spring flowers and temperatures. I often think about my Irish Heritage at this time of the year.  I found myself looking over records and photos of relatives and remembering stories I heard growing up. The Hughes' showed up in Michigan in the 1830's and settled in Mt. Morris which became known as Hughesville .  I didn't discover the cemetery behind Mt. Morris' St. Mary's Church until I was in middle age---it was full of Hughes graves.  The Church itself contains stained glass windows  donated by various Hughes ancestors. When I visited Ireland in 2008 with six of my first cousins, we found our cousin  Kathleen Hughes Doherty east of Dublin;  she toured Mt. Morris with us a couple of years later.  She was floored by seeing all the graves and windows in St. Mary's  Mt. Morris and marveled that: "Here's where all the relatives came when they left Ireland before The Grea...

This January, I’ve resumed walks around my Ann Arbor neighborhood to  exercise and to "clear my head."  I’ve made the time to listen more, to receive what my environment is telling me. A walkabout can be a form of meditation, especially if one refrains from listening to music or to the latest podcast or news feed. That’s been a good thing personally. I expect it would be smart for everybody to do.  Yard signs abound with messages as varied as, "Thanks to Essential Workers" or "Save Our Postal Service” or  "Hail to the Victors" or  "A Ford School Graduate Lives Here". Earlier this month, one simple yard sign  message struck me hard, "LISTEN TO THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN UNHEARD." This sign opened a door in my mind and heart that I've pondered ever since.  I began to think about all the people in all walks of life throughout human history that have been UNHEARD. Then I thought about people in my own life who have not been heard. Th...

Spiritual thinkers and writers often reflect that growth occurs "in limine', that is when one is living, thinking, journeying between spaces. For me, the time between Christmas and Epiphany offers space and time to reflect on the past year, to ponder lessons learned, to plan, consider actions/resolutions for the New Year.  2021 was quite an eventful year for me.  I accomplished more travelling around the U.S.A. than in any time in my 73 years. From Lake Superior to the Gulf of Mexico, from Acadia National Park in Maine to Redwood National Park in California, from St. Louis to Boulder, from Mississippi backroads to Vermont state parks.....  One reflection is that nothing replaces "being there", wherever "there" is. The cool breeze of the Atlantic coast, the bright colors of the Green Mountains in October, walking the Edmund Pettis Bridge in person, staring up at a 2000 year old Redwood tree ....... well, words just can't do this justice.  Another refl...

During this  PANDEMIC YEAR,  I've  spent lots more  time walking and reading.  In morning walks I notice homes , and trees, and squirrels and people and yard signs. The yard signs have often brought  focus to my meandering steps and thoughts. My reading has ranged from articles about elections and pandemics to books about myth, spirituality and history. Among the many books I chose, I must say "The Warmth of Other Suns", by Isabel Wilkerson was most enlightening. The detailed story of the "Great Migration" of African American people from the South to the North and West from 1915-1970 carries insights on the history of this nation and her people that affected me profoundly.   The book changed my perspective and rearranged  the paradigm that frames my understanding of history and culture in the U.S.A. I'm a white man who sees himself as enlightened, intelligent, and somewhat knowledgeable about America. "White Privilege" is a concept that intellectu...

That many Americans have "stepped up" during this pandemic is a testimony to the inherent goodness and spirit of citizenship that is still alive in this Republic.  Despite uneven federal action and shaky leadership, people  from all over this nation have worn face coverings, socially distanced, washed their hands and tried to do their individual part to deal with this serious national crisis which has torched the economy and killed 228,677 people .   In the midst of this ,  more people have awakened to the systemic racism that has plagued the USA since before it's founding.  Veterans, grandparents, and middle class whites have joined young people and people of color to study and to take action to become "anti-racist." These developments reveal to me that there are many many people who do understand the concept of the "common good." Pundits tell us that we're "in a moment." Why not use this "moment" to implement a Mandatory Natio...

This spring in Ann Arbor, I've developed semblance of a morning routine that includes a walk around the neighborhood.  The colder the morning, the less I have to worry about proper 'physical distancing' from other people. My route includes the local elementary school playground with map of the USA drawn on the asphalt (I step around the states and remember family members sheltering in place around the country). I've noticed that the playground which has been devoid of school children for several weeks has populated with robins.  They sing and fly and romp around the slides and swings and benches that aren't used by kids these days. I continue through the neighborhood of Cape Cod houses with gardens and SUVs and families ensconced for the duration of this pandemic. The neighborhood is covered with various yard signs as if we're in the middle of an election. Many sign have variations on the theme of gratefulness.... "Thank you  Essential Workers" ...