Tag Archive for: book reviews

Mark Neese of True North Counseling sitting in a camping chair in the woods.

I Have Wasted My Life | Healthy Aging Series: S11 E18

I was scrolling this morning, and I happened to see a reel from a therapist that had a list of things to avoid in order to take care of your mental health. The first one was: Stop scrolling first thing in the morning. First, I think he’s right. Second, it’s a little ironic that someone…

Mark Neese, owner of True North Counseling, and his wife at Yellowstone National Park.

How to Find Your Voice | Healthy Aging Series: S11 E17

My very first trip out west was in January 1979. I was headed to college in Portland, Oregon. I was raised around a little snow in Southern Indiana, but I know it’s not Minnesota or the Rockies. I’d recently been discharged from the Air Force in September, spent six weeks visiting my parents in Southern…

Mark Neese of True North Counseling hiking the Rim to River to Rim of the Grand Canyon with his son.

Confessions of a Former Couch Potato | Healthy Aging Series: S11 E16

It took 13 hours, but I finished my second Rim to River to Rim of the Grand Canyon. When I finished, the first thing I did was call my wife and tell her that I would never, ever, under no circumstances, ever do it again. “I know you Bear,” she replied, “Once you recover, and…

Mark Neese hiking with his granddaughters. True North Counseling Blog.

How to Learn the Meaning of a Minute | Healthy Aging Series: S11 E15

I loved working at UPS. I was a load supervisor on the South Ramp. Mind you, that was 30 years ago. If you ever worked there, I know you would agree that the ramp was organized confusion. And yes, it was stressful. At any given time, there were dozens and dozens of aircraft, 747s, Airbus…

Young Mark Neese of True North Counseling and his family.

Pope Francis and Religion that Heals | Healthy Aging Series: S11 E14

I’m not a Catholic, but I felt the loss of Pope Francis. I’ve been reading Thomas Merton lately, and I think Pope Francis was that kind of Catholic. They rejected certitude and coerciveness in religion. They supported a more tolerant and inclusive Catholicism. There was healing in their message, at least for me. Toxic Religion…

Mark Neese of True North Counseling writing for the Healthy Aging Series

Life is Like a Road Trip | Healthy Aging Series: S11 E13

Having a Kansas Moment I hate driving through Kansas. I can see many heads nodding in agreement. But I do love road trips. I’ve driven out to Colorado several times. Three times in one year during the pandemic. It took my back six months to heal up from those road trips. Why do I dread…

Mark Neese climbs up a bouldering wall.

How to Start a Revolution | Healthy Aging Series: S11 E12

My First climbing Experience The first time I used a climbing gym was in 2002 at Rockport. My climbing partner and I did the initial training for belaying on Top Rope. There were no auto-belays then. Auto-belays are like a tape measures that you hook onto and it retracts as you climb. But, if you…

Mark Neese hiking in the Grand Canyon. He encourages us to take heart in the face of difficult situations.

You Can’t Think and Feel at the Same Time | Healthy Aging Series: S11 E11

Several years ago, I was invited by Quest For The Outdoors to share my adventures in Canyonland National Park. So much fun. People were amazed by some of the facts about Canyonlands. It’s about 350,000 acres, which is about half the size of the state of Rhode Island. And it’s remote. The Maze District-Range Station…

Mark Neese and his wife standing at the ocean. Healthy Aging Series Season 11 Episode 10 Blog Post.

Give Us this Day our Amazon Prime | Healthy Aging Series: S11 E10

I’ve never done Black Friday. Do we even call it that anymore? I looked into the origin of Black Friday, and it seems to have originated in Philadelphia in the 1960s to describe the heavy traffic and crowds that occurred the day after Thanksgiving. More recently, it has been a way for retailers to indicate…

Mark Neese of True North Counseling sitting, looking out at the Grand Canyon.

The Most Loved and Hated Man in America | Healthy Aging Series: S11 E9

I have a few specific memories of the fifth grade. We lived in Elberfeld, Indiana. My father had purchased horse stables, which he confessed years later, was a big mistake. I have the memory of ending up in the hospital after being trampled by a horse named Valentine. We had a coal furnace, and I…