The Casual Casuist

What follows is a brief history of one of the Mike’s you read about last week: I was born on June 30, 1981, at 4:32 am. It was midnight, and my parents were at a birthday party when my mom felt contractions, turned to Dad, and said, “Let’s go!” He drove them to a hospital in Mt. Kisco, NY, where a nurse was prepared, but the delivery doctor was “on his way.” I guess I was impatient, even back then, because I flew out on the cart as the nurse and my dad were guiding Mom to the delivery room.

Bubba Startz is a dynamic singer, songwriter, content creator, and media entrepreneur whose journey from hardship to hope has inspired countless people across the world. Hailing from the small town of Deadwood, South Dakota, his life story is one of resilience, transformation, and an unwavering commitment to uplifting others through music, storytelling, and community building.

Marcus was tired of staring at the stainless-steel wall, but the ethics attendant had instructed him to sit and wait. Attendant. Right. A rose by any other name. He sat at a cheap plastic table with a matching chair under ominous, suffocating lights, trying to figure out why he'd been summoned. Sure, he'd shown poor, careless restraint when checking in at the Bureau, saying, “What's this about?” But that was after the summons.

The older I get, the more I’m certain about one thing: I have no clue what’s going on. I say this, because every day I notice more and more how I feel like I’m witnessing this big, bloviating mess of a human named Mike, and less like I’m in control of him.

Annalouiza Armendariz has a deep understanding of grief and mourning that enriches her ability to provide compassionate and culturally respectful guidance through the challenges of loss and transition. Her diverse expertise encompasses herbalism, traditional healing practices from Mexico and Central America, Reiki, and spiritual coaching. Fluent in both Spanish and English, she also serves as an Advance Care Directive planner, combining her skills to facilitate dignified approaches to death.

Growing up, when I heard adults say, “It’s the thought that counts,” my first thought was, “I agree, if by thoughts, you mean gifts, and by gifts, you mean that kick-ass Lego spacecraft model at Toys R’ US that is very reasonably priced at $10,000,000.” But last Tuesday, I was handed a confounding lesson in “thought math” that proved those annoying, anti-gift giving adults right.

The Reverend Wakil David Matthews has worked many years in hospice as a chaplain, and in funeral services and end-of-life planning and companionship. He offers classes on end-of-life, grief counseling, and interfaith (or no faith!) spiritual direction. For more please visit endoflifeconvos.substack.com. Please rate us on Apple and/or Spotify and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Today is my 45th birthday! And while, so far, I’ve never been upset by aging, this day does present an ominous occasion: Silly me, I vowed 20 years ago that if I didn’t achieve SAIDI (success as I define it) by this exact age, I’d quit my writing career. However, now that I’m at my deadline and still far from my goal, I’ve discovered two awful things: 1. I’m really happy with my life, so 2.

Believe it or not, I consider myself a good person. Don’t get me wrong, I can be a judgmental jerk (especially in my youth), but for the most part, I’m good at putting up with most things that irk my peers (like Bad Bunny, bad news, and bad politics…) So that’s why I’m shocked by how much I hate flaking. Especially since when I was young, I canceled and bailed a lot. But there’s a difference. I’ll explain with definitions: 1. Canceling. Canceling is not flaking.

I was driving in California last week where a billboard said: “Beer, Wine and Music Festival.” My first thought was, “What a dumb name!” But my second thought? “That sounds cool. I want to go.” This is why I could never work in sales or advertising. On that same trip, I had to use floss to remove a strand of floss stuck in my teeth.