The one word in the above headline describes what happened to my wife’s Ford Explorer when it was T-boned in a parking lot while she was driving a few years ago. The aftermath looked like a stepped-on Coors Light can. She was fine, but the SUV suffered more than $7,000 in damage from this low-speed collision. Luckily, the doors still opened. And, even more luckily, we were able to get the vehicle repaired in a reasonable amount of time.

In the process, we learned that we did not have rental car insurance for accidents. My father, rest his soul, was certainly shaking his head in frustration with me. When I wrecked my car, and then his truck, and then his car — all in a matter of a month at age 21 — he made me purchase rental car insurance. “Your car is a required tool for your job,” he told me. “And you need to make sure you have all the tools you need. Buy the insurance.”

So, I did. Or, at least I thought I did.

To be honest, I really wasn’t too concerned after Jolene’s accident, as I had it all planned out. She could drive my truck, and I would ride my motorcycle. What I didn’t plan on was a week of temperatures in the 40s with rain. Have you ever looked at some moron riding a motorcycle in the freezing cold and wondered why in the world anyone would do that? Now you know.  

Through this all, I couldn’t help but think of my mother telling me how she and Dad had one vehicle in the early years of their marriage. She would push my sister in a stroller down to his place of employment if she needed the vehicle and then would return it after her errands and stroll back home. This seemed to work fine for them. Mom not working outside of the home made that arrangement easier, as did the fact that Dad didn’t work far from home. Truth be told, having one vehicle in a family wasn’t all that uncommon at the time. That memory makes me feel guilty each time I drive my vehicle a few blocks to pick up groceries, get a haircut, or go to the bank, but I still do it.

Getting by with less is good for all of us from time to time, as it lets us know how fortunate we are today and that, if necessary, we can make things work without all the “stuff” that we think we need. Except for my motorcycle. That’s clearly a necessity. 

Have a fantastic Friday, and thanks for reading.

Shane Goodman
Editor and Publisher
Times Vedette digital editions
shane@gctimesnews.com
641-332-2707

Several years ago, I wrote a column in our Daily Umbrella newsletter that touched on political elections being predictable based on who you would rather sit down and have a beer with. A reader responded to my column and shared a link to a video from Heineken beer that I had not seen before.

The video has been viewed more than 2.9 million times since it was posted in 2017, so some of you may have seen this already. Even if you have, it’s worth another look, as it is a reminder of how even those of us who seem miles apart politically can be on the same page if we try to set our differences aside and work together on common goals. Take 4 minutes and check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etIqln7vT4w

I enjoyed this video and its message because I strongly believe that we could be so much further ahead in so many ways if we could simply focus more on how we are alike instead of how we are different. In finding that common ground, we will learn to better accept and appreciate our differences, too. That’s a great message from our past that is truly relevant today and will be well into our future. 

Have a terrific Tuesday, and thanks for reading. 

Shane Goodman
Editor and Publisher
Times Vedette digital newsletter
shane@gctimesnews.com
641-332-2707

I am not a good hugger, but I am working on it.

I didn’t realize that I was a lousy hugger until my friend Terri told me, “You are a lousy hugger.” I was slightly insulted. Wouldn’t you be? So I asked her, “What makes a good hug?” She replied, “Well, you could start by skipping that little pat on the back — and use both hands when you give a hug.”

Some of you are likely thinking the same thing that I was when my friend told me this. A few generations of us have been taught to respect the space of others and to avoid anything that could be construed as an unwanted sexual advance — and for good reason. 

Quite frankly, I didn’t grow up in a family that hugged, kissed or said, “I love you,” so I didn’t know that those things were right or wrong. They just didn’t happen. When my parents divorced, that changed my father — and his view on hugs. 

Dad told me that after the divorce, he had to decide if he was going to be angry the rest of his life or do everything he could to love his family. He opted for the latter, and part of that approach was a lot of heart-warming hugs for me every time I saw him. 

I remember being on a visit home from college when my friend Mike and I had dinner with my father. When we were ready to leave, Dad walked over and gave me the customary hug. And then he quickly marched over to Mike and gave him a big hug, too. I was embarrassed, but I ignored it and proceeded out the door to my vehicle. When Mike got in the car, I noticed that he had a big smile on his face. He then looked at me and exclaimed, “Your dad is a peach!” He explained to me how his father never hugged him. I then realized how lucky I was and how impactful a well-meaning and caring hug can be. 

With all this in mind, I try to hug my family members every time I see them. I am sure I embarrass my kids sometimes, but that’s OK. Someday, they may truly appreciate this. In the meantime, I am also being a bit selfish. Because, as novelist Diana Rowland said, “The good thing about hugs is that when you give one, you get one.”

Have a fantastic Friday, and thanks for reading.

Shane Goodman
Editor and Publisher
Times Vedette digital editions
shane@gctimesnews.com
641-332-2707

With our three daughters out of the house now, Jolene and I have been adjusting to the world of empty nesting. As many of you told us, life is different. Certainly there are the big changes like a quieter house and a lower water bill, but I have noticed some smaller ones, too. 

This morning, I took a bag of garbage out to the trash container. When the kids were home, this seemed to be a daily occurrence. The other option was to come home and find that the dog decided to play hide and seek with the trash around the house. So, I learned. But, when I took the bag of garbage out this morning, I noticed that there was only one other bag in the container. Two small bags of garbage. For an entire week. Amazing. 

I often wondered how some people could get by with that little trash. Now I get it.  Not only is the nest empty; the garbage can is, too. 

It is my understanding that some garbage companies offer the smaller containers for a lesser fee, which makes sense. With the available technology today, I wonder how far off we are from paying for garbage by the pound. The trucks could weigh each home’s containers and subtract the tare weight, then charge a by-the-pound fee. Of course, I like this idea at this stage of my life. I likely would not have agreed with it a few years ago when I had to stand on the lid to get all the garbage to fit in it. 

Either way, the one thing we can all most likely agree on is that less trash is a good thing. 

Have a terrific Tuesday, and thanks for reading.

Shane Goodman
Editor and Publisher
Times Vedette digital newsletter
shane@gctimesnews.com
641-332-2707

In an effort to downsize and simplify, I have been moving a lot of “stuff” lately. You know. Stuff. We all have it, at least the noun definition: a group or scattering of miscellaneous objects or articles. “Stuff,” ironically, is also a verb, meaning: to fill by packing things in.  

Both seem appropriate. 

George Carlin offered a great interpretation of “stuff” in his comedy routine from a few decades ago. If you are up for a laugh, and aren’t offended by a bit of graphic language, check it out here. 

When my wife and I made our first move, I asked her about the need for so much stuff, including the really heavy bag of rocks that she wanted me to load up. “It’s for the bottom of flower pots,” Jolene told me. I didn’t know that flower pots required special rocks, so I let it slide. In our next move a few years later, I came across that bag of rocks again. Of course, I had to ask, “Do we really need this bag of rocks?” She yelled, “Yes!” I didn’t argue. On our third move, when I eyeballed the bag of rocks that we hadn’t used in more than a decade, I put my foot down. “I am not moving this bag of rocks another time,” I firmly stated. “If and when you want rocks, I will find you rocks.” She reluctantly agreed. It was a small victory on stuff. 

Do you rent a storage unit for your extra stuff? You are not alone, according to sparefoot.com. Self-storage units are a nearly $40 billion industry with 49,000-plus facilities using 1.9 billion square feet. About 10.6% of households rent a self-storage unit, spending $89.12 per month, on average. And all this while 65% of us have a garage, 47% have an attic, and 33% have a basement, according to boxbee.com. Meanwhile, most of our grandparents and their parents lived in much smaller homes, often without garages. Where did they keep all their “stuff”? The answer is that they simply didn’t have as much of it. What a concept. 

I was reminded of all this stuff when moving a roof box cargo carrier for our SUV. Yes, I had to find room to store something that sometimes stores other things. And, yes, it did come in handy a few times on family vacations, but I would rather move a dozen heavy bags of rocks than carry this buffalo again. Just don’t tell my wife. 

Have a fantastic Friday, and thanks for reading.

Shane Goodman
Editor and Publisher
Times Vedette digital editions
shane@gctimesnews.com
641-332-2707

An apple a day may keep the doctor away, but what happens when you eat a banana every day?

According to eatingwell.com, there are many benefits to eating bananas, including increasing your energy, maintaining a healthy weight, increasing your fiber intake, improving your heart health and reducing your risk for chronic disease. Actually, it seems like eating a banana a day may keep the doctor away. 

And, that’s why I eat a banana every day. Kind of. I actually like bananas because they are easy to eat, and I can take them on the road with me. Peeling a banana is much easier than peeling oranges or prepping strawberries. And, don’t even get me started on the challenges of pineapples or coconuts. I like my fruit simple, and I don’t want to have to use a machete to eat it. 

The other honest answer is that I didn’t grow up eating many fruits other than apples, oranges and bananas (Jell-O isn’t a fruit, right?). At 21 years old, that changed. Ken Kane was the manager of Easter Foods on the corner of Beaver and Douglas avenues in Des Moines in the early 1990s. I was working on a grocery ad with him, and he was promoting a sale on kiwi. I told him I never tried kiwi before. He stared at me for a moment, took me by the arm and led me out from his office to the produce department, saying, “We are going to change that today.” He yelled to his produce manager, “Cut this young man some kiwi!” And we all shared a kiwi that morning. It was amazing, and that day opened my eyes — and my taste buds — to other wonderful fruits. Peaches. Apricots. Guava. Kumquat. Nectarines. Papaya. And my all-time favorite — mango. 

I enjoy most any berry or melon, too, but I continue to struggle with grapefruit, plums and rhubarb (unless it is rhubarb crisp with a couple scoops of vanilla ice cream). Baby steps, right?

Back to the Jell-O comment I made earlier. The jiggly gelatin-based dessert was a menu staple in our home in the 1970s, and it continues to be seen on hot lunch and hospital trays. And, not just plain Jell-O. Mom would throw in various fruits as well in an effort to give it some nutritional value. My wife tried a variation of that trick with our kids and me, but she swapped out Jell-O with yogurt. I still like it. 

As much as I love peaches and want to shake the tree (yes, that’s a Steve Miller Band reference… Maurice), for the sake of ease, I will likely be sticking with bananas. Without Jell-O. 

Have a terrific Tuesday, and thanks for reading.

Shane Goodman
Editor and Publisher
Times Vedette digital newsletter
shane@gctimesnews.com
641-332-2707