One of the managers at work declared she wanted to run the Boston Marathon by the age of 30. She had done a little bit of research, knowing that she would have to qualify for it by running another marathon in three and a half hours. She did the calculations, which meant running the 26.2-mile distance at an 8-minute pace.

“I can run a mile in 8:30,” she said. “I can shave that down.”

I was slightly jealous because I knew my 10-minute training pace often broke down to a 10:30 pace in the marathon.

She asked if she could…

My friend, a high school teacher, was telling me her latest frustrations of the changing tide of education. She was told that she needed to accept late work until the end of the term, which meant grading papers, projects, or homework up to three months late.

For students who did no work at all, she was supposed to record their grade as a 50 rather than a zero. Why? Because a zero would make the student “lose motivation.”

In three or four years, I’ll see these students in my class. Although I don’t accept work later than five days past…

My childhood chorus used to sing “Let There Be Peace on Earth” during our Christmas concerts. It was such an easy melody with simple words, even if it ended with high notes some kids couldn’t reach.

Although the song itself is a prayer for peace, it implores us to take action. We encourage the peace within when we sing, “And let it begin with me.”

Outward circumstances might disrupt us and cause us to respond with rage, but peace has to arise somewhere. Martin Luther King, Jr. …

My 15-year-old dog took a turn for the worse early Sunday morning. In fear, I rushed him to the emergency room and was thankful that he could be seen right away. After the doctor gave me her initial report, the front desk called me with her estimate of my dog’s plan of care.

The high estimate was $4300.

My heart sank, knowing that this would not only deplete my savings, but also my monthly responsibilities to my bills. People assume college professors are affluent. That assumption is often incorrect, especially for me. …

My senior dog’s heart condition drags me out of bed at 3 a.m. After taking care of his business, I retreat to bed, of course bringing my phone. I order the senior dog some more of his senior food.

I check the news. Looks like Warnoff won a Senate seat. I might have to wait a few hours to hear about Ossoff. Stacy Abrams really knows how to get things done.

Let me check Instagram before going back to sleep. Wow, that’s a beautiful picture from National Geographic. Trevor Noah cracks me up. …

Satire

The Department of Name Your Major is seeking candidates for the position of Assistant Professor. We are looking for a highly talented and dedicated individual who will spend countless hours feeding the beast. We especially desire candidates who work well with others and possess integrity, although eventually we will promote candidates who step on others’ toes and throw others under the bus. We value hard work, but we can only pay you a salary that will encourage you to teach extra courses during the summer to help you pay the bills.

We believe the right candidate should adhere to the…

I am one of the world’s biggest procrastinators. I can’t tell you how many projects I’ve started but not completed. In fact, I bought a book on procrastination and didn’t finish it.

Working in the news industry didn’t allow me to procrastinate because each project had to be finished by 11 p.m. — or sometimes earlier. Big projects that took several months or years were more difficult. The only reason I finished my Ph.D. in three years was that I was tired of the meager graduate school stipend.

I’ve been working on the same project for about eight months now…

When I was a kid, my neighbor took me to her bible class, where we watched a video that still sticks in my mind 43 years later. It depicted a young man attending his Sunday services, singing praises to God, and showing his affection to his community.

Once he left the church and arrived at a stoplight turning green, the car in front of him didn’t move. Impatient, the man yelled out of his window, “The light isn’t going to get any greener!”

This depicted an inconsistency that might exist in all of us. For the man, he was a…