Mark Neese as a young man in the U.S. Air Force.

The Art of Wallowing | Healthy Aging Series: S12 E12

Camp Bullis, Texas, 1975 It felt like a death march. As part of our Airbase Defense Training, the Air Force required us to march 10 miles, which included other necessary skills like orienteering, weapons fire, and combat tactics. Today, I don’t think twice about a 10-mile hike. There’s a system of trails in the Jefferson...

Learn More
Mark Neese, owner of True North Counseling, poses for a photo against a brick wall.

Don’t Monetize Your Life | Healthy Aging Series: S12 E11

Many years ago, in a galaxy far, far away, I was a young Southern Baptist Minister. I pastored two churches, one in Eastern New Mexico, and one in West Texas. The first was a very small church in the middle of peanut fields and the second was in the heart of west-Texas oil country. It...

Learn More
Mark Neese of True North Counseling stops for a photo while hiking the Grand Canyon.

Simplicity is Not the Key to Happiness | Healthy Aging Series: S12 E10

There are 5 common mistakes that rookie-backpackers make in their early years. First, they lack physical conditioning. I have a backpack with 40 lbs. of cat-litter in the back of my Jeep. I strap it on and I do hill repeats once a week. Second, they forget an important piece of equipment. My first backpacking...

Learn More
Photo of Mark Neese when he was a young Airman stationed at Rickenbaker Air Force Base, Columbus, Ohio. He was a Dog Handler tasked with guarding KC 135’s and poses with in uniform with his dog by his side.

Good Fortune and Six Flags over Texas | Healthy Aging Series: S12 E9

I was struck by lightning once. Well, almost. I was a 20-year-old Airman stationed at Rickenbaker Air Force Base, Columbus, Ohio. I was a Dog Handler tasked with guarding KC 135’s. Central Ohio, like much of the Midwest, can have some hellacious thunderstorms. During one stormy night, another Dog Handler and I were walking the...

Learn More
Photo of Mark Neese and the rest of the men from his time in Military basic training.

Those Who Cannot Remember the Past | Healthy Aging Series: S12 E8

I remember my first day of basic training. I remember learning how to tie my shoes. I remember being driven to kindergarten in the pouring rain by Pammy’s mom and saying, “Look at all that piss.” I remember walking across the stage and getting my Master’s in Social Work. I remember holding my mother’s hand...

Learn More
Mark Neese and his wife visiting Shaker Village in Pleasant Hill, Kentucky.

The Fountain of Youthfulness | Healthy Aging Series: S12 E7

“In advertising, sex sells, but only if you’re selling sex,” wrote Jef I. Richards, a professor of advertising at Michigan State University in 1998. But that was not the first mention of using sex in advertising. In 1871, Pearl Tobacco featured a naked maiden on its packaging. I think there are many advertising agencies that...

Learn More