Ponderings by Dan Ponder

I started Rehab some six months ago working to strengthen the muscles around my knee and hip.  The primary goal was to delay eventual knee and hip replacements due to arthritis.   The secondary goal was to be able to interact more with my grandchildren.  Who ever knew that getting up off the floor could…

The television ads became almost unbearable.   Auburn is located near the Georgia – Alabama border, which means that political ads from both states are saturating the airwaves as the primary election dates get closer.  In particular, the candidates seem to have bought all the spots available around the evening news slot, the only real…

Mary Lou and I walked into the packed theater to the sound of synchronized applause.  We were accompanied by some two dozen other people as we were escorted to our seats.  It could have been a tremendous boost to your ego, until you realized that the 1,000+ fourth graders were just clapping in time to…

The only teenager I ever met with the last name of “Ponder” that was not my sibling happened to be my future wife.   We met in the seventh grade at Girard Junior High School in Dothan, where our Algebra teacher made us sit in alphabetical order.   Mary Lou and I were great friends…

Some six hundred columns after I penned my first article, I still occasionally find myself searching for a subject to write about.  I believe that there is no shortage of topics, but sometimes you must search hard for something, anything that might be of interest to your readers. I might be a bit distracted because…

My mother used to tell me that if you have five great friends in your life, you will be lucky.  Her follow up comment was that if you had one of these special great friends, you should tell them.  After all, they are a blessing beyond comprehension to you.  Tell them of their place in…

The year was 1968.  Having suffered through two knee injuries due to sports in junior high school, I had surgery in Columbus, Georgia. Dr. Jack Hughston, the founder of the now famous Hughston Orthopedic Clinics located around the Southeast did the honors.   I remember two things about my first visit to Dr. Hughston.  He…

The drive is a circuitous route.  It encompasses metro areas, country roads, farms, fields, and factories.  In one day, I see blooming tulips, budding azaleas, plowed fields and green.  Lots and lots of green.   During the long, leisurely ride I visit every place that I have ever lived.  Despite having visited over 30 countries…