Football game schedule changes left the Tioga High School Band without any snare drummers last Thursday night, so Mr. Speer let me sit in.
I was once a drumline member at Collinsville High School and did a few semesters at Southeastern Oklahoma State University, too.
I’ve kept up my percussion chops on the drum set over the years, but marching music had been a long time in the rearview mirror.
It was special— being directed by my favorite drum major (and youngest daughter), Grace Lewter, but I hadn’t picked up a pair of marching sticks in over 20 years.
Marching sticks are big, fat and heavy.
They are three times bigger than my Pro Mark 747s drum set sticks. The consensus was that I wasn’t too bad— for an old man— but my triceps were sore the next day.
***
I’ll be proactive with this correction, as I miswrote the cutline on the front page of last week’s issue. The new water tower is, in fact, WEST of town— not east. Unless of course, the town referenced is Oak Ridge and not Whitesboro.
The same water tower is less than 100 yards west of my childhood bedroom, so you’d think I could get that right. A momentary lapse from a tired brain working late and rushed behind
deadline, I guess.
Alas, I tell my students to always double check when referencing directions— whether you are completely sure or not. The professor will heed his own lesson next time.
***
Cooler temperatures have prevailed. Though our summer was not as oppressive as it could have been, it held on for too long. I am not built for 90-degree temperatures in early October.
Finally, last week I was reminded of the words of my late grandmother.
“It feels like fall of the year out there,” she’d say each year when the heat subsided.
Then Friday night, we had that big front blow through. It brought six inches of rain and cooler temperatures.
Now we have morning lows in the 40s and highs in the mid-60s— and all seems right again.
The changing of the seasons reminds us that life goes on, and the sun comes out after the storm.
The temperature’s cool and life regenerates. It is not a metaphor; it is a circle of life.
***
A new study finds that spending just three minutes a day watching an inspiring video on social media can significantly boost feelings of hope and reduce stress.
According to NPR, while platforms often promote negative content and “doom¬scrolling,” this simple tweak—seeking out positive, uplifting media—can make a meaningful difference in mental well-being.
Researchers suggest that even small, intentional experiences online can counterbalance the harmful effects of heavy social-media exposure and improve emotional health in a short time frame.
So, seek out positivity online. It can yield real results for your well-being.