Category Archives: Life

The Day a Scoutmaster “Didn’t Get Lost” (But Absolutely Did)

27 Tuesday Jan 2026

Posted by in Amateur Radio, Boy Scouts, Life, Uncategorized

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Photo by Valentin Antonucci on Pexels.com

The story you’re about to read is 100% true. Every embarrassing second of it. It’s a little long, but if you hang in there, I promise the ending is worth it. It wasn’t funny at the time, but years later it has become one of my favorite stories to tell — mostly because I survived it and now get to pretend it was all intentional. Feel free to share it if you want a good laugh at my expense.

Before I developed Charcot in my right foot, I was pretty active outdoors. I loved hiking. As a kid, I’d throw random “essentials” into a backpack and disappear into the woods for hours. As an adult… those “essentials” eventually included a CPAP machine and a battery roughly the size of a car engine. Overnight hikes became less “Boy Scout” and more “mobile medical unit.”

So on troop outings, I usually stayed at base camp while the boys went on two- or three-day hikes. Someone had to guard the coolers, make sure nothing caught fire, and most importantly, be available if things went sideways.

Luckily, our troop had a couple of HAM radio operators — me being one of them. We always brought radios so the hiking group could stay in touch with base camp. If something went wrong, I could meet them at a trailhead, resupply, or help with medical needs.

It was a perfect plan.

Which should’ve been my first warning.

One fall morning, we drove about two hours to Cheaha State Park, home of the tallest mountain in Alabama — Mount Cheaha, standing a mighty 2,407 feet above sea level. Not Everest, but tall enough to make you question your life choices halfway up.

The plan was simple: the boys would hike to a shelter, stay the night, then finish the trail in the morning and meet me at the campground. Since the shelter was only a couple of miles from the campground, I decided I’d hike in later, eat supper with them, then hike back out before dark.

What could possibly go wrong?

I packed my meal, stove, fuel, water, snacks, electronic compass, hiking stick, and my brand-new handheld HAM radio. I crossed the road to the trailhead and hiked about half a mile before realizing I never turned on my GPS.

Already off to a strong start.

I stopped, turned it on, and waited several minutes for it to find satellites. This tiny decision — made by a man who thought he was prepared — would later become very important.

I reached the shelter without any trouble and, to my surprise, beat the troop there. Since there was no campfire planned, I picked up trash, did a little cleaning, and eventually lay down for a nap.

I woke up to the sound of teenage boys… which is about as subtle as a herd of raccoons falling down a metal staircase.

They set up tents, cooked supper (some of them apparently training for MasterChef: Backcountry Edition, others surviving exclusively on PB&J and processed sugar), and after everything was cleaned to my Scoutmaster standards, I realized it was getting late. Later than I wanted.

But I wasn’t worried.

I had a headlamp.
I had a GPS.
I had a radio.
I had confidence.

Nature loves confidence.

That weekend, the Penhoti 100-mile challenge was happening. Runners were everywhere, and HAM operators were stationed at checkpoints along the trails. I’d spent part of the afternoon listening to them check runners in.

Dark came fast, but I made it back to the road with no problem. I crossed it, expecting the campground to be right there.

It was not.

I walked… and walked… and walked… until I came to a creek. A wide one. A deep one. A very “this creek was absolutely NOT in the brochure” kind of creek.

The other leaders knew when I left and when I should’ve been back. I was supposed to radio in when I arrived.

That time had come and gone.

I didn’t want to admit I hadn’t made it back. Not because I was in danger — but because Scoutmasters don’t get lost.

I wasn’t lost.

I just had absolutely no idea where I was.

Then my radio crackled.

“Break… break…”

“We have a lost Scoutmaster somewhere between the Chenebee Silent Trail shelter and Turnipseed Campground.”

There are moments in life when your soul leaves your body.

That was one of them.

I keyed my mic and gave my call sign.

Nothing.

Tried again.

Still nothing.

That’s when I realized the problem. I had the right frequency… but forgot to set the correct PL tone. Without it, my radio might as well have been a walkie-talkie from the dollar store.

So there I stood, alone in the woods, listening to a search for myself… while being completely unable to tell anyone that I was, in fact, the idiot they were discussing.

I decided my best option was to retrace my steps back to the road and follow it to the campground entrance. It took nearly an hour — an hour during which I listened to HAM operators coordinate efforts to locate… me.

I eventually reached my truck and immediately found the nearest checkpoint. The operator was mid-conversation with the shelter when I broke in.

I have never heard relief like that come through a radio.

The next morning, when the troop arrived, there were many questions. And for years afterward, there were many reminders.

Ironically, that HAM operator later became one of my closest friends. Another story for another time.

Looking back, I learned a few things.

As a Scoutmaster, I broke the most basic rule: never go alone. Always have a buddy.

As a HAM radio operator, I failed to check my equipment before leaving home.

And because of that, I earned a title that will follow me forever:

“The lost Scoutmaster… who absolutely, positively, was not lost.”

I Just Wanted a Burger, Not a Lecture

26 Monday Jan 2026

Posted by in Uncategorized, Life

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Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Pexels.com

I’ve been debating on posting this for a long time, and honestly, I really didn’t have a reason to—until just recently.

I was at a drive-through the other day, placing an order like I’ve done a thousand times before. When I pulled up to the window, I addressed the person there as “ma’am.” Simple. Automatic. The way I was raised.

And that’s when the wheels came off the wagon.

I had made the mistake of identifying the person at the window as the wrong gender. My mistake. I went purely by appearance. I’m one of those people who tends to call it like I see it. If it quacks like a duck, it must be a duck…right?

Apparently not.

The person at the window immediately began to chastise me for not reading their mind.

Now, let me stop right here and say this: I wasn’t trying to insult, provoke, belittle, or make a statement. I wasn’t being sarcastic. I wasn’t trying to be clever. I was just ordering food. Hungry, slightly impatient, and completely unprepared for a pop quiz on modern social navigation.

I also want to be clear about something else. I don’t do political posts. I avoid them on purpose. If someone wants to label this as political, then congratulations—this will officially be my first and last one.

Here’s where I stand, plain and simple. If you’re a man and want to be a woman, so be it. If you’re a woman and want to be a man, so be it. If you identify as non-binary, or something else entirely, that’s your life and your choice. It’s not my job to run it, and it’s not my place to stop you.

But I also don’t believe it’s reasonable to expect strangers to instantly know what’s in your head.

Somewhere along the line, something that used to be automatic—sir, ma’am, he, she—has become a minefield. And the expectation, at least in that moment, was that I should somehow know the correct answer before the question was ever asked.

That’s the part that stuck with me.

We live in a time when communication is supposedly easier than ever. We’ve got phones, apps, and watches that tell us to stand up and breathe. And yet, basic human interaction feels more complicated than ever. Instead of conversation, correction. Instead of grace, assumption.

Here’s the honest truth: I’m going to get things wrong sometimes. Not out of hate. Not out of stubbornness. Not out of disrespect. But because I’m human, I’m older than Google, and I grew up in a world where appearances usually matched labels.

And maybe the better answer—for all of us—is a little more patience.

If I misidentify you, tell me. I’ll listen. I’ll adjust. I’m not above learning. But I don’t believe shame, scolding, or public correction at a fast-food window is how understanding is built. Respect shouldn’t be a weapon; it should be a bridge.

Life’s already heavy enough. We’re all carrying something. A bad day. A loss. A diagnosis. A bill we don’t know how to pay. The last thing we need is to turn a cheeseburger exchange into a courtroom drama.

So this isn’t a rant. And it’s not a political crusade. It’s one simple request from one imperfect human to another:

If I get it wrong, tell me. Don’t try to teach a lesson. Don’t draw a line in the sand. Just tell me.

Because I’m not your enemy. I’m just a guy in a drive-through trying to buy lunch.

And if we’ve reached a point in life where a stranger deserves a public scolding instead of a quiet correction, then maybe the real thing we’ve lost isn’t proper labels.

Maybe it’s grace.

Cold Enough to Make a Southerner Pray

22 Thursday Jan 2026

Posted by in Life, Nature

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I don’t know who offended Mother Nature, but at this point, I’m convinced somebody cut her off in traffic, stole her parking spot, and ate the last donut. Whatever it was, we are all paying for it.

She is currently having a full-blown emotional breakdown in the atmosphere.

Seven days ago, we were told a freeze watch might be issued. Then some warm Gulf air came rolling in and bullied the Arctic air back north like, “Ma’am, this is the South. You’re lost.” For a hot minute, it looked like we’d escaped.

But no. Of course not.

Now, the forecast says temperatures were supposed to start dropping Saturday night and continue their descent into single digits by Tuesday morning. Single digits. That’s not “a little chilly.” That’s “why do I live where the air hurts my face?”

But don’t put away your shorts yet, because Mother Nature is also predicting mid-40s next week. Awesome. A whole three days of false hope.

And now… now they’re saying snow is possible next weekend.

So let me get this straight. We’re doing spring, winter, fake spring, and winter: the sequel all in the same ten-day period?

Mother Nature is not controlling the climate — she’s playing roulette with it.

She really needs to get her act together and make up her mind. People in the South are not equipped for this kind of psychological warfare. We own exactly one coat. It’s decorative. It comes out for Christmas photos and emergency runs to Walmart when the bread aisle looks like it’s been looted.

Down here, extended cold doesn’t just affect the weather — it affects our entire economy. Milk and bread disappear. Churches cancel. Schools close if a snowflake thinks about falling. We start with dripping faucets, opening cabinets, wrapping pipes, and saying things like, “I’m just gonna let it run all night,” as if we’re on some kind of plumbing life support system.

So to whoever angered Mother Nature: own it. Apologize. Send her a fruit basket. Light a candle. Do something. Because the rest of us are out here wearing three layers, questioning our life choices, and checking the forecast like it owes us money.

Mother Nature, if you’re listening — pick a personality and stick with it.

The Phone Call That Changed Everything

17 Saturday Jan 2026

Posted by in Cancer, Depression, Diabetic, Disability, Leukemia, Life, Weather

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It’s hard to believe, but I’m coming up on my 12th anniversary of being diagnosed with CML (Chronic Myeloid Leukemia). My most recent lab work showed my cancer as undetected—which is always good news… with an asterisk. In my case, “undetected” can be a little sneaky. It can be undetected on one visit and pop back out of range on the next. I wish I could tell you why there’s such a swing, but I don’t do anything differently from month to month. Same diet. Same routine. Same bad jokes. The only thing that really changes is what the numbers decide to do.

I will never forget the day I found out. Or the days leading up to it.

I had gone in for a routine six-month checkup when my GP called and asked me to come back in for more lab work because something looked “off.” Then on February 14, 2014—Valentine’s Day—my wife and I were getting ready to meet one of my daughter’s newest boyfriends. He was coming to pick her up for a high school date, and I was in the important stage of fatherhood known as trying to find the right words to mildly terrify a teenage boy.

That’s when my phone rang.

Keep in mind, this was late on a Friday afternoon, when most doctors’ offices are already mentally in their cars. The nurse told me my white blood cell count was extremely high and that they wanted me to see an oncologist.

At that moment, I had never heard the word “oncologist.” I didn’t know what kind of doctor that was.

During the phone call, my wife quietly looked it up and said, “Tim… that’s a cancer doctor.”

Needless to say, my carefully rehearsed intimidation speech for my daughter’s boyfriend completely left the building.

My appointment was scheduled for the following Tuesday at 10 a.m., which made that weekend the longest weekend of my life. A thousand scenarios ran through my head. I didn’t sleep much. I just wanted Tuesday to get there so I could talk to someone who actually knew what was going on.

Tuesday morning arrived with snow and ice. I kept calling the office. No answer. The hospital sat on top of a steep hill, and the road was iced over. No one was going up it, including me.

Later that day, the temperatures rose, someone finally answered, and my appointment was moved to 2 p.m.

I’ll never forget meeting my oncologist. He made a lasting impression. My wife decided that day she didn’t like him from the start.

I had a thousand questions loaded and ready. I opened my mouth to ask the first one. He held up a finger and said, “I’m talking. When I’m done, I’ll answer your questions.”

And just like that, I realized I was not in charge anymore.

He’s an older doctor, and sometimes I worry that one day I’ll walk in and find out he’s retiring. I’ve been with him nearly the whole time—nearly because there was one stretch when he tried to pawn me off on another doctor at another hospital because my numbers wouldn’t behave. But that’s a story for another time.

The time after my diagnosis was one of the darkest periods of my life. I slipped into a depression I had never known before. I truly thought CML was a death sentence. I was afraid to buy anything because I figured it would just have to be sold or given away. There were days I stayed home—not because I was sick, but because I didn’t want anyone to see me fall apart.

And honestly… at that time, I didn’t care.

Through some very serious conversations with my wife, my parents, and my oncologist, I slowly crawled my way out of that hole. It didn’t happen quickly. It didn’t happen neatly. But it happened.

They say laughter is the best medicine, and while my insurance company may disagree, I’ve found it to be pretty true. If you go back and read some of my early posts, you’ll notice they don’t carry the same humor as the ones I write now. There’s a reason for that.

I still have days when the weight hits harder than others. I still have moments of fear, frustration, and fatigue. But I’ve learned that sometimes it’s better to laugh at life’s situations than to let them crush you. Humor didn’t remove cancer from my life—but it did give me a way to live with it.

So here I am, almost twelve years in. Still showing up. Still rolling the dice on lab work. Still grateful for “undetected,” even when it comes with an asterisk. Still learning. Still stumbling. Still here. And still trying to laugh whenever possible… because some days, laughter is the only thing in the room that reminds you you’re still alive.

If you’re reading this and you’re walking through cancer, or any other terminal or life-altering diagnosis, let me tell you something I had to learn the hard way: don’t give up. Don’t give up on tomorrow. Don’t give up on joy. Don’t give up on the people who love you. And don’t give up on yourself.

There will be dark days. There will be scary appointments. There will be lab results that knock the wind out of you. But there will also be days you never thought you’d see. Conversations you didn’t think you’d have. Laughs, you didn’t think you were capable of anymore. Life doesn’t end when a diagnosis begins. It just changes.

Hold on. Ask questions. Lean on the people God has put in your life. Celebrate the good days. Endure the hard ones. And if all you can do on some days is get out of bed and breathe, then that is more than enough for that day.

Almost twelve years ago, I thought my story was coming to an end.

It turns out that it was just the beginning of a very different chapter.

And as long as there’s breath in your lungs, there is still a reason to keep turning the pages.

Can You Hear Me Now?

15 Thursday Jan 2026

Posted by in Family, Life

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For many Americans today, the answer was a resounding “No!” Verizon Wireless went down, and just like that, millions of us were spiritually transported back to 1983. Society wobbled. Productivity plummeted. Somewhere, a teenager had to actually talk to someone.

With our phones suddenly reduced to very expensive paperweights, many of us were forced to resort to smoke signals, carrier pigeons, and aggressively refreshing the screen like that was going to fix anything.

I was sitting in a doctor’s waiting room when it happened, and it was better than cable. People kept picking up their phones… staring at them… turning them sideways… tapping them harder… then setting them back down. Five seconds later? Same ritual. Over and over. It looked like a support group for the technologically dependent.
Full disclosure: I was absolutely one of them.

We’ve grown so accustomed to grabbing our phones to check Facebook, watch a YouTube video, text a friend or spouse, or occasionally even make an actual phone call. When that little pocket computer doesn’t work, it feels like someone unplugged part of our brain. I half expected a nurse to walk in and say, “Sir, you seem confused… do you know what year it is?”

We’ve lost the art of voice communication. Kids will sit around the breakfast table and text their friends instead of talking to the rest of the family. You can have four people in the same room, all on their phones, silently sharing videos with people who aren’t there. These little glowing rectangles have become idols that we worship. We can’t seem to live without them — not even for a couple of hours. If the Wi-Fi hiccups, we act like we’re auditioning for a survival show.

I’m old enough to remember the dark ages — before pocket computers ruled our lives. Back when a “dead zone” meant the phone cord wouldn’t reach the couch. If you were bored in a waiting room, you didn’t scroll… you committed. You read a six-year-old magazine about kitchen remodeling. You memorized a poster about heartburn. You judged people quietly.
And somehow… we lived to tell the tale.

Granted, there was a moment today when I really wished I could call or text my wife to let her know I’d be making a few stops on the way home. Instead, I found myself longing for the return of phone booths — the kind where you could pull over, squeeze inside, dig a quarter out of the cup holder, and make an honest-to-goodness phone call.

No apps.
No passwords.
No updates.
No, “your call is very important to us.”

Just a dial tone, the smell of warm plastic, and the unsettling feeling that the last person in there may have been a superhero… or a criminal.

Maybe today’s outage was a good reminder that the world won’t end if our phones stop working. Conversations still exist. Eye contact is still legal. And boredom, while uncomfortable, won’t actually kill us — though judging by that waiting room, several people were close.

So if you need me, I’ll be over here practicing my smoke signals, teaching kids how to communicate using actual words, and checking my cup holder… just in case phone booths ever make a comeback.