Mostly True Stories With Dr. Juan Harrison

Another mostly true story by Dr. Juan Harrison.

Another mostly true story by Dr. Juan Harrison.

Another mostly true story by Dr. Juan Harrison.

Another mostly true story by Dr. Juan Harrison.

Another mostly true story by Dr. Juan Harrison.

Another mostly true story by Dr. Juan Harrison.

Another mostly true story by Dr. Juan Harrison.

Another mostly true story by Dr. Juan Harrison.

Another mostly true story by Dr. Juan Harrison.

Another Mostly True Story by Dr. Juan Harrison.

Another Mostly True Story by Dr. Juan Harrison.

Another Mostly True Story by Dr. Juan Harrison.

Another Mostly True Story by Dr. Juan Harrison.

Another Mostly True Story by Dr. Juan Harrison.

Another Mostly True Story by Dr. Juan Harrison.

Another Mostly True Story by Dr. Juan Harrison.

Another mostly true story by Dr. Juan Harrison.

Another mostly true story by Dr. Juan Harrison.

Another mostly true story by Dr. Juan Harrison.

Another mostly true story by Dr. Juan Harrison.  

Early in my administrative career a group of students did a play at my school.  One of the characters was the principal, a man who spent a lot of his time constantly expressing gratitude to those around him.  I don’t really think I was that obvious, but apparently I did it enough to be apparent to those at my job.  Take a listen to hear the rest of the story.

I’m sure people get tired of my harping on the blessings in my life, but sometimes I feel like a certain famous person who tells Americans that we are going to win so much that we’re going to be sick of winning.  I read about some guy recently winning two different lotteries almost back to back.  Take a listen to hear the rest of the story.

Flexibility in your schedule is worth its weight in gold.

In 1982 Michael Martin Murphy sang, “Doesn’t anybody ever stay together anymore?  And if love never lasts forever, tell me what’s forever for.”  He says, “Maybe it’s me that’s gone crazy, cause I can’t figure out why; all these lovers keep hurting each other, when good love is so hard to come by.”  Take a listen to hear the rest of the story.

The constant battle for all of us, particularly the elderly, of coping with a rapidly changing world.

Tim McGraw had a really great song called “Always Be Humble and Kind.”  No one has to tell you how hard it is to do that.  Lubbock’s own Mac Davis used to strut around in tight jeans singing “Oh Lord it’s hard to be humble when you’re perfect in every way.”  Take a listen to hear the rest of the story.

The boys started working for me on my side business when they were young. I didn’t force them or beg them. One day my oldest boy came to a job site where I was drenched in sweat and covered in dust.  Take a listen to hear the rest of the story.

An older successful friend once volunteered his secret to success.  He called it, “And Then Some.”  Anyone who knows me or have read my books Serving Happiness and Class Rules, know that I believe the secret to happiness is serving others.  Take a listen to hear the rest of the story.

In Junior High we used to roll around at football practice in sand close to where the bus lot is now.  There was this mean, thorny sticker called a goat head that didn’t just stick, it hurt.  Who hasn’t made the mistake of getting into a patch of grassburrs?  Take a listen to hear the rest of the story.

A little Amish lady in Paris, Texas has some of the best bread and pastries in her roadside stand on North Main heading out of town.  Any kind  of salty nuts, like roasted pecans, won’t last long at my house.  My wife likes a certain kind of cookie.  Take a listen to hear the rest of the story.

The other day I heard Vince Gill singing about regret.  It got me to thinking about how much time we waste looking back on things we can’t change.  If we were able to learn something from it and not repeat it, then a little self-examination is a good thing.  Take a listen for the rest of the story.

I was looking in my flower beds one day at the cockscombs or prince feathers I had dug up out of a neighbor’s pasture and transplanted at home.  Next to it were some Mexican petunias I “borrowed” from a lady’s bed to get a start.  Those blueish/ purple flowers dominate now.  Take a listen for the rest of the story.

Christmas is almost here.  I know because the Hallmark Channel has been running holiday movies 24 hours a day since before Thanksgiving.  Some nights we’ve been lucky to have a fire in the fireplace when the daily temperature wasn’t sneaking back up to 70 degrees.  Take a listen for the rest of the story.

Jesus said, “So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth.”  I can’t think of anything good to say about lukewarm.  I hate warm milk, coffee, coke, Chinese food, and just about anything else to eat or drink that is lukewarm.  Take a listen for the rest of the story.

Things are only valuable to us if they are useful. Relationships with people are what are most valuable and fulfilling in our lives.  Simply by looking at older people and determining what they have valued in their lives and what outlook they have toward life in their later years we are able to determine what matters most in their lives.  Take a listen for the rest of the story.

If “clothes make the man,” then does the house make the home?  If we “dress for success,” does our house help ensure happiness.  These old phrases probably haven’t had much effect on my career over the years.  Take a listen for the rest of the story.

I’ve been to Paris,  France several times and always visited the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame, Louvre, and the Gardens of Versailles.  I  rode the camels to the pyramids at Giza, Egypt and walked where Christ walked along the shores of the Sea of Galilee.  I was impressed by the Acropolis and the  Parthenon in Greece, but I think some of my best memories are of Estes Park, CO, my favorite place in the whole world.  Take a listen for the rest of the story.

At this writing in Thailand countries have sent help to try and rescue a group of boys trapped in a cave.  In 2010 the world responded to rescue 33 miners from a mine in Chile.  Whether it is a tsunami or earthquake, we see barriers dropped as the best in mankind demonstrates what can be accomplished when we work together.  Take a listen for the rest of the story.

She spent the Mother’s Day afternoon visiting her mother’s grave with her father and then spent time with two older ladies she feels close to. I cooked supper and washed the dishes while she made another run to a nearby neighbor and friend whose husband recently passed within a short time of her mother’s passing.  The Bible describes her as a helpmate, but the truth is I think we could both be called that.  Take a listen for the rest of the story.

Hank Williams Jr. or Bosephus sang a song, “ A Country Boy Can Survive.”  It brought back memories of unforgettable early years on East Texas farms.  The water came from a concrete cistern and later a rain tank.  Take a listen to hear the rest of the story.

We talked here while back about how bullies are often paper tigers built up by fear in our minds.  In a similar vein, things said and done to us often have a much greater effect on us than they should.  As we’ve repeated many times in life, remember the bumper sticker, “Stuff happens,” or some variation of it.  Take a listen to hear the rest of the story.

Life brings many challenges as we age.

I was taking out the trash one day when I looked over at the prince feathers that had come up with their purplish red heads.  Call em coxcombs if you’d druther.  Sure as it turned hot and dry, I knew they’d show up.  Take a listen to hear the rest of the story.

Every year we try to watch The Christmas Story with Ralphie and the bully.  We all cheer when Ralphie dispatches the bully, while Ralphie wears his bloody nose like a badge of honor.  Too bad most bullying isn’t that easily resolved.  Take a listen to hear the rest of the story.

Regarding old age a friend jokingly told me if you want a big funeral, die young.  The crowd gets thinner when you’re outliving your peers.   Sometimes I feel 30, but it quickly goes away once I bend to retrieve something from the floor.  Take a listen to hear the rest of the story.

I was on a job the other day when an old friend and sometime customer stopped by.  Since we are Christians, we didn’t gossip, but we “shared” a few thoughts about others.  It dawned on me that she is still full of vim and vigor as she approaches ninety years of age.  Take a listen to hear the rest of the story.

Momma and I were sitting in our favorite steak place, Borderline Café,  in Powderly the other day.  Even the 8 oz. ribeye almost covered the plate.  Remember no credit or debit cards, only cash or checks, out of town ones are accepted.  Take a listen to hear the rest of the story.

Mac Davis used to sing a song “Oh Lord it’s hard to be humble when you’re perfect in every way.”  He brags about his tight blue jeans.  Heck,  all I want is a pair of relaxed fit;  I even started wearing my shirt out like they do in Hawaii.  Take a listen to hear the rest of the story.

While living in Germany I had to go to Interlochen, Switzerland for a few days for a conference.  It was a sunny but jacket-comfortable day in the shadow of the Bernese Alps and the cool air coming from the not so distant Grindelwald Glacier.  I decided to sit outside the coffeehouse on the shore between Lake Thun and Lake Brienz, the source of the name Interlochen, “between lakes.”  Take a listen to hear the rest of the story.

Another mostly true story by Dr. Juan Harrison.