In this week’s #MomLife column, Steph Hightree discusses her upbringing and how it shaped the person she is today. Being the oldest of six wasn’t easy but she survived, as did her Hanson CD. Well, mostly.
Opinion
Watershed Voice columnist Charles Thomas writes about the importance of deliberate practice when attempting to develop expertise.
#MomLife columnist Steph Hightree laments over her daughter getting older, and what she’s doing to embrace this bittersweet time in a parent’s life.
WSV columnist Charles Thomas recalls the “saddest Christmas” he’s ever had, and how a recent exchange with a Las Vegas taxi driver helped put into focus what Charles and many of us take for granted.
#MomLife columnist Steph Hightree writes, “I love being a mother and a wife. I am happy to take care of my family. But I am also going to learn how to say no more often to allow for some me time.”
Ken Peterson, MAJ USA (Ret.), of Buchanan urges fellow Michigan residents to vote “Yes” on Michigan Proposal 3, Right to Reproductive Freedom Initiative.
Watershed Voice columnist Charles Thomas imagines what C.S. Lewis’ “The Screwtape Letters” would look like if instead of trying to damn “the patient” to hell, the two demons at the center of the story tried to create the worst mental health in that patient. So if you’re looking to improve your mental health, stop listening to those inner demons, and go for a walk.
Michigan Advance’s Rick Haglund ponders whether state and federal funding for automakers is “a critical public-private partnership needed to save the planet from greenhouse gas-spewing internal combustion engines, and reduce dependence on Chinese-made batteries and computer chips? Or is it corporate welfare gone wild?”
Ken Peterson, MAJ USA (Ret.), of Buchanan urges fellow Michigan residents to vote “Yes” on Proposal 2 (Promote the Vote).
Ken Peterson, MAJ USA (Ret.), of Buchanan gives “kudos to President Biden, Congressional Democrats, and a few Congressional Republicans” for a variety of legislation passed in recent years.
Watershed Voice’s Aundrea Sayrie says while reimagining Ariel is a step in the right direction, she has reservations about the upcoming live action adaption.
Watershed Voice columnist Charles Thomas writes, “Having now lived for a half century, I remember a time when things were different. I remember when people who disagreed could have vigorous debate about a topic and then walk away still liking the other person. In short, I remember a time when we were all better at empathy.”
Michigan Advance’s Rick Haglund says, “Michigan’s business-centric approach to economic development is lacking.” But how should the state address this apparent issue? Haglund suggests taking “a more local service-based approach.”
David Hecker writes, “Our lawmakers have the power to relieve this burden, make strides toward closing the racial wealth gap, and preserve higher education as an opportunity for all, rather than a privilege for those who can afford it. It is imperative that they act to cancel student debt — and beyond that, to look toward long-term solutions at the federal and state levels to make higher education more affordable and accessible for all.”
Rick Haglund writes, “Motor vehicles and parts as a percentage of the state’s gross domestic product has fallen from 25% in the late 1960s to about 7% in 2018, according to data compiled by Michigan State University economist Charles Ballard. But the state’s economy needs to become even more diverse.”
WSV’s Nancy Boyd writes about the importance of expressing compassion and empathy toward others.
WSV’s Aundrea Sayrie writes, “I don’t want to see another hashtag. I want to see the dismantling of White Supremacy. It is a monster that is coming for you if you are a person of color, a woman, young, old, poor, or a member of a dispensable marginalized group. Shock, thoughts and prayers… it’s a useless cycle. We need real reform.”
Watershed Voice’s Aundrea Sayrie writes, “Never abandon personal discernment. Not even within the spiritual sect. A person’s title doesn’t always align with their heart posture. Gaslighting can happen in church too. So if you have to leave an environment because it is causing you trauma, leave. Leave the trauma, leave the person(s), leave a trail (by reporting it), but don’t leave God.”