I’ve Become Financially Offended by Restaurant Prices
A humorous reflection on modern prices, sticker shock, and the moment you realize two small ice cream sundaes somehow became a financial event. I have officially reached the stage of life where restaurant prices personally offend me. Not mildly surprise me. Not disappoint me. Offend me. I just celebrated my seventy-first birthday, which happened to…
Motherhood Changes Shape
A Mother’s Day reflection about love, expectations, distance, regret, and the painful realization that motherhood changes as children grow older and build lives of their own. Mother’s Day always makes me reflective. This morning I woke up thinking about my mother and the complicated relationship we had. I never doubted that she loved me, but…
You Should Have to Do This Job Once
Tipping makes more sense when you’ve lived it. This is about what that work is really like, what we expect today, and what might change next. I’ve always thought there are a few jobs everyone should have to do at least once, and waiting tables is at the top of that list. I started my…
What “86” Actually Means
Some things get twisted beyond recognition. “86” is one of them. It’s simple. It always has been. Every time I think things can’t get any weirder, they do. Like Donald Trump claiming that “8647” was some kind of threat against him. It’s a perfect example of how something simple gets twisted into something it was…
The Hurt You Can’t See
Suicide leaves behind more than grief. It leaves questions, silence, and a deep need to understand something we often can’t see. This piece reflects on the importance of compassion over judgment—and the quiet truth that we never fully know what someone else is carrying. Death is hard. There’s no way around it. But death by…
If I Stay Ready, Nothing Bad Will Happen
There’s a quiet belief I carry. If everything is in order, maybe the worst won’t happen. It may not make sense, but it feels real. I have this superstition I don’t talk about much, mostly because I know it doesn’t make complete sense. But it’s there, and if I’m being honest, it probably shapes more…
Selective Outrage and the Stretching of “Threats”
When does criticism become a “threat”? And who gets to decide? This blog takes a hard look at how outrage is applied—and how quickly the definition of danger can shift depending on who’s talking. From late-night jokes to a photo of seashells, it raises a simple question: are we protecting safety, or just protecting narratives?…
Mary Was 34 Forever
I spent years wishing I could be her. Then one day, she stopped aging—and I didn’t. This is what it means to carry someone with you through a lifetime they never got to live. I met Mary in seventh grade, back when everything felt big and important and permanent. She was the kind of girl…
Guilt for Sale: When Compassion Becomes a Commercial
You can’t watch TV for ten minutes without being asked to save a child, feed an animal, or rescue something in crisis. The cause may be real, but the marketing? It leans hard on guilt. At some point, you have to ask if compassion is being inspired… or manipulated. Let me say this upfront. The…
Life Is Too Short to Forget Each Other
A simple, honest reminder that the way we used to live still matters. This piece looks back at a time when people showed up for each other without hesitation and challenges us to bring that spirit back. It’s about connection, compassion, and choosing to lift people up instead of tearing them down because life moves…
When Every Call Looks Legit… and None of Them Are
Your phone rings. It looks like your bank. The voice sounds official. The message feels urgent. And just like that, the trap is set. Scammers have turned caller ID, email, and text messages into weapons—and they’re getting very good at it. My phone has basically turned into a scam delivery system. Calls. Texts. Emails. All…
We Remember. They Guess.
Getting older is a one-way street. The young think they understand life because they’ve lived a little. The truth is, we’ve lived all of it. Here’s my take on the gap between what we remember and what they can’t yet see. There’s something I’ve noticed more and more the older I get. Young people think…
Pay People for Their Work. Period.
We all agree on one simple rule: if you work, you get paid. So how did we end up with TSA agents working without pay while passengers stand in lines for hours? I keep coming back to the same question. How did we get here? How did something this basic get so messed up? If…
Affordability: The Latest “Democrat Hoax,” Brought to You by the Man Who Thinks Reality Is Optional
Donald Trump says affordability is a hoax. I guess the rest of us just imagined our grocery bills, medical costs, rent hikes, insurance premiums, and heating bills. This is my sarcastic take on the strange little universe he lives in. You have to admire the confidence. It takes a special kind of person to stand…
How Disinformation Feeds the Willfully Ignorant
We live in a time when lies travel faster than the truth can get its shoes on. Disinformation spreads because people want to believe it. They do not question, they do not verify, they just share. The result is a nation drowning in ignorance, anger, and fake statistics that sound believable only because they confirm…
The Most Litigious Man in America
Donald Trump’s latest $230 million lawsuit against the Justice Department proves once again that no one loves the courtroom more than he does. In this cynical look at the most litigious man in America, I imagine what it would be like if the rest of us could sue him for the stress, sleepless nights, and…
Respect Isn’t the Same as Obedience, and Donald Trump Doesn’t Deserve Either
Seven million Americans marched for democracy, and Trump called himself king. Respect has to be earned, and Donald Trump has never even tried. On October 18, 2025, nearly seven million Americans marched in cities across all fifty states, carrying handmade signs that read “No Kings,” “We the People,” and “You Work for Us.” It was…
What’s Wrong With You?
When did empathy become optional? It seems like people’s first reaction to almost anything these days is, “How does this affect me?”What that says about us as a society and why we’ve become so self-focused. From politics to everyday life, we’ve forgotten how to care about others. Maybe it’s time we remember. If your first…
My New Book, Left Waiting Now Available on Amazon!
https://www.amazon.com/Left-Waiting-Laura-Thompson-Kiefert-ebook/dp/B0FVS5HYLL Left Waiting is the true story of my youngest brother, Dave Thompson, and the devastating tragedy that unfolded while he was on what was supposed to be a simple vacation in Jamaica. When he became seriously ill, our family did everything possible to get him medical help and bring him home, but what we…
Justice or Just Payback?
When justice turns into a weapon, democracy becomes the target. My new Don’t Blink! blog pulls no punches about how the Department of Justice is being twisted into a tool for political revenge — and why it’s tearing down the rule of law in the process. Justice is supposed to be blind. Lately, it feels…
