Articles written by Gary Mcdonald

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About me - Gary Mcdonald

I'm a veteran of corporate America having survived many job challenges and power struggles. "The Man" always won and I learned my lesson. I'm now a submissive little soldier who follows orders, mostly. I've written two non-fiction books neither of which have

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Creative Writing > Short Stories Short stories: Family memories: 1 of 116

Chopley Splinters was an odd dude. He was the only neighbor living northwest of our shack up at the headwaters of the Miscanimba River which flows out of the Appalachian Mountains. His wood cabin was 1 or 2 miles up the side of a mountain. There's no road just tall grass, wild flowers, and lots of oaks, hickories, and maples...
Creative Writing > Humor Humor: Growing old: 34 of 125

I was born in 1943 right in the middle of World War II. You know, it's what all the talking heads call the "Good War". Okay now let me get this straight. War is good for exactly who and what? Perhaps it's the boon of arms manufacturers, ammunition suppliers, coffin makers, ration manufacturers and the like. For the common or...
Creative Writing > Reflections Reflections: Why humans need pain: 46 of 100

Pain is defined as physical hurt, ache, suffering, agony, discomfort, irritation, tenderness, and so forth. Pain is a single universal phenomena that is experienced by virtually every human being. Pain is unpleasant and vilified as something bad and to be avoided at all costs. Children are taught how to avoid pain by not run...
Creative Writing > Humor Humor: Family: 80 of 162

It isn't that humor was born into the human family overnight, by some mysterious magic wand waved by a drunken fairy. Nor was it the result of a slightly rigged election. Nor did it spring miraculously from the frozen tundra of tedium and meaninglessness. Rather, like good families everywhere, it evolved one step at a time, ...
Religion & Spirituality > Christian Beliefs & Culture The significance of being a Christian: 6 of 11

The "call" to Christianity is not for the weak hearted. It means denying yourself and following Jesus Christ. It's all about following the teachings of Jesus. This means implementing his ideals all of which run against the grain of our current modern culture. It's not a call to popularity, it's a call to service. One of the ...
Creative Writing > Reflections Reflections: Reasons to love winter: 52 of 86

There are 3 reasons that I love winter weather and they're all fun. The first is that you get to drink lots and lots of hot chocolate. This is a fun food that makes you feel warm and comfortable. And it tastes so good. There is no such thing as too much hot chocolate. This is not a drink that's popular any other time of year...
Creative Writing > Short Stories Short stories: Silly stories: 33 of 45

Bad Elf The little stoat turned out to be an elf. I thought he was just short. You know how retailers bend over backwards hiring oddballs. Understandably I assumed the little dude was an employee. He stood in the parking lot gesticulating like he'd lost something; arms waving, swearing, spitting, real agitated. Turned out he...
Creative Writing > Reflections Reflections: Family conflict: 67 of 86

Most of the conflict in the family I grew up in centered around pleasing our parents. Looking back there seemed intense competition to "measure up" to religious values and high expectations. Some children will be stimulated and challenged under these conditions but my brother, sister, and myself seemed to find ourselves in c...
Creative Writing > Humor Humor: Life: 305 of 316

Glebel Warding It's early winter when snow is supposed to be blanketing the landscape turning everything dreary into magical splendor. Instead we are surrounded with bleak looking trees, sickly grass, and a sticky unease in the air that's thicker than a politicians hide. "It's the glebel warding," says Uncle Jasper. "All I k...
Creative Writing > Humor Humor: Bad days: 51 of 52

Bad days are when the alarm goes off and your feet hit the floor and you can't get your eyes open. Somehow for some odd reason they are stuck together by some sticky substance that has silently oozed out of your body and is providing difficult moments. So you stumble blind into the bathroom and turn on hot water splashing it...