Mike Matthews

My thoughts after 62 years on this planet on family, public education, cooking, and life.


LATEST POST

Loss, Destruction, Beauty, and Togetherness

Sometimes the most spectacular sunrises and sunsets appear when something is terribly wrong in or around our communities. There is a true lack of coherence in this post. It was written over several days during the fire. I have tried to make it all fit together, but I know it really doesn’t. The lack of […]

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RECENT

My 2025 Aspirations In One Word

December 28, 2024

As I end my 2024 year, I find myself spending 90% of my time in my own home, most of it cuddled up with my newest and favorite possession – my ice machine that provides soothing relief to my new knee. I love my ice machine. Don’t get me wrong, I love spending time with […]


All You Wanted to Know About My Knee Replacement Surgery

December 14, 2024

Last Tuesday, I had my full knee replacement surgery. Those of you who are regular readers knew this was coming. I tried to share the information without being obnoxious about it. Pushing the limits of that not being obnoxious goal, I thought I would share a few thoughts about the surgery and the first two […]


Gratitude – 30 Seconds at a Time

December 2, 2024

I hope you all had an outstanding Thanksgiving. I certainly did. It remains my absolute favorite holiday. Highlights of my Thanksgiving included: I am a free subscriber to Maria Shriver’s Sunday Paper email. It is reflective, kind, and positive, all things that I’d like to have more of in my life. In her email on […]




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BOOKSHELF

Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention and How to Think Deeply Again

Johann Hari 2022
Read: 2023
Education/Leadership, Non-Fiction, Reading Now

My friend Jenn loaned me this book. That means I read it as a paperback, instead of Kindle-ing it. I read less than 10% of my books in hard copy. This was a perfect one to choose to be part of that 10%. This is a book about why we are distracted, and the forces […]

Breakfast with Buddha

Roland Merullo 2008
Read: 2023
Fiction, Reading Now, Spirtuality

OK. I love this book. It’s one of the few books I’ve read where, after I finished it, I immediately began reading it a second time. I’ve written about it in two separate blog posts, and I have many friends who have read it and loved it after I suggested it to them. It’s a […]

Keys to a Successful Retirement: Staying Happy, Active, and Productive in Your Retired Years

Fritz Gilbert 2020
Read: 2024
Non-Fiction, Reading Now

After I finished my first year of retirement, I found this book. Mr. Gilbert’s book is thoughtful and introspective in his analysis and reflections. His advice would be to read this book and start thinking about all of this at least three years before you are considering retiring. I would say that anywhere from one […]

Rich Dad, Poor Dad

Richard Kiyosaki 2000
Read: 2010 or before
Non-Fiction, Reading Now, Recommended for Young Adults

It’s been on the best seller list since it came out. It’s corny and very simply written. But as a parent and an educator, there’s not better book to give you the big picture of money. We educators don’t think about money. We think about how overwhelming our job is, how wonderful it is to […]


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