In the past three years, we’ve experienced widespread human loss, skyrocketing mental health issues, the miraculous development of vaccines and the permanence of COVID in our lives. Through these traumas and trials, I’ve identify three ways that the pandemic experience has changed me, for better and for worse.

St. Patrick’s Day is one of those ambiguous special occasions that can be quite confusing for non-Irish adults like me. We non-Irish must simply stand back and repeatedly listen to that insensitive saying about the only two kinds of people in the world – “the Irish, and those who wish they were.”

Social media may be second nature to younger generations, but certain middle-aged and older folk find it to be more burden than boon.

In many locations across the US, the increase in short-term rental properties has resulted in fewer military families renting locally, fewer military children in local schools and less money being given by states to public school systems.

In their bleaker moments, military spouses might wonder, “Why do I live this difficult life with all of its moves and deployments? Why do I put up with the inconveniences and hardships?” Read on to find ways that military life actually makes one a better person.

Different life experiences sometimes mean we can get the better of shared traits.

Indulging now and then is human, and therefore forgivable. But not using that as an excuse to binge like crazy is a little more challenging.

Our shameless penchant for freebies sometimes leads us into traps we probably should be wise enough to avoid.

A fear of the uncertain future is not unusual. But are military kids better, or worse, equipped to handle the concept of the unknown?