Author Archives: John's Book of Life

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14 Saturday Feb 2026

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A THOUGHT ABOUT THE OCEAN

In 1992, I was part of a four-man kayak expedition down the coast of Baja California from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas. It was over 1,000 miles, and the coast is exposed to the Pacific swell all the way. That means there is major surf on most of the beaches, most of the time. Your first thought might be, “Who cares?” Believe me, if you’re in a kayak looking up at the waves, you care.

We went ashore every night and had to get off the beach every morning. We had one capsize, one pitch-pole (end-over-end), and one boat broken in half (with the paddlers in it!). I wrote a book about the trip, “We Survived Yesterday”, one of my Amazon eBooks. I wrote the following one evening while sitting on one of the beaches where we camped.

The ocean is a strange and mysterious place,

One with which our senses do not easily interface.

We see with our sight, and what we see is true,

 However, upon further investigation, everything appears new.

We listen to the sounds that come oozing from the deep,

But the meaning is guessed at, for its language we don’t speak.

We touch it and feel it, but hold it, we cannot.

We capture it in tanks, but it loses a lot.

Its soul has departed; it lost its song,

 It no longer sings, its breakers

 And the currents are gone.

We peek through the glass,

to see what lies beneath,

 But all we see,

 Has just been 

scrapped 

off some reef. 

The sun shines brightly for us every single day.

It is there even when clouds get in the way.

Sometimes the clouds are in the sky,

But at times, they are in our hearts.

The ones in the sky will pass by

The ones in our hearts

Will also go if we

Are strong and

Don’t cry.

Let the sunshine on you, it’s there every day.

BLOG 9/52

08 Sunday Feb 2026

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SLEEPING WITH THE WHALE                                   

When the whale speaks, the entire ocean intently listens

When he swims to the surface to take a breath.

If the sun is out, his head will glisten.

All in the sea will understand

Except you and me

Even if we 

Listen.

But in my dreams, I know it’s true

The whale loves me

And even you.

Why I Travel

I have been asked why I travel as much as I do. I try to be somewhere besides home 2 weeks a month or longer for months at a time. It is a reasonable question because it is more than most people would want to travel.

I have always traveled if I could and never thought about it. I don’t think of my traveling as vacations, but rather as field trips in the school of life. The world is my classroom, and I love to learn, so I travel. There is a Chinese proverb that is 8,000 years old, and I am paraphrasing, that it is better to take 10,000 steps to a new place than to read 10,000 pages about it. I believe that. No words can reveal the beauty of a mountain, or the odors that rise from a marsh, or the sound of a waterfall. These things should not just be learned about; they should be absorbed in your soul, and only then can they be part of you. 

When I was able, I went to places I had no words to describe—and slept on the ground, in a tent, or belayed down a Cliff to see what was under the water in the remote spot below. I can no longer do that—my body won’t take me to those places anymore, but I have to move on anyway I can to keep learning. 

 In an Amazon River village in the upper Ecuadorian jungle, with no roads leading to it, I was told by the shaman that the secret to long life was never to stop experiencing life. He said that when you do, you are through. You might as well. Feed the environment and do some good. Placing that advice into my world was not difficult because I already believed it. I just didn’t know it.

Now I am traveling to timeshares and on cruise ships. I can still do that with my Walker and find new things in life that I had passed by without appreciating. When the time comes that I must ride in a scooter or a power wheelchair, I will find things even closer to learn that I was unaware of, as I walk over them. An example is the bellflowers that grow in the lawns. They are so small that you have to get down on your belly with a magnifying glass to see them. They are stunning.

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30 Friday Jan 2026

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THE GHOST SHIP 

When old seadogs remember their life over a beer

With others like themselves that they hold dear

Stories are told with shining eyes and held breath

About perils at sea with ghost ships and near-death.

They were always blurry and not clear to see, but just

As they were starting to board and take over their ship

Their wives would wake them up with a sharp slap on the hip.

Stop yelling and fighting, you old fool, they would always say

So much for adventures at sea, that is all for today 

Everyone pays for their beer, and shakes hands 

And walks away, but it is ok 

There’s more adventure

Another day.

JUST HANDLE IT

When changes in my world disrupted my normal routine, over which I had little to no control, I became irritable and didn’t like where I was in my life. I try hard not to let that happen. It is controlled by my attitude and acceptance of what is happening in my life at the time.

My father told me that life will get harder, but it’s just a matter of handling it. Handling it is hard because you must decide between what you want and what you need. Often, they conflict with each other, and you must choose between them.

Most of my life, want has been my guide. I find that what I need starts taking over as I continue down my path and slow down. When need becomes your guide, you may find yourself doing things that you don’t want to do but have no choice. They say that growing old is not for sissies, but getting old will make you one. We can’t stop growing old, but we can work hard not to get old and become a sissy. Keep moving forward. Be aware that slowing down is much better than stopping.

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24 Saturday Jan 2026

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NEVER TOO OLD TO LEARN

The Shaman    

The world is moving more slowly now, and so am I, but that’s okay.

The fields are still being plowed, and my cows are being fed.

I’m 92 years old, and it isn’t easy, but I’m grateful I’m not dead.

So much around me I never noticed before, too busy, I guess.

          There’s so much to learn; I knew about heat, but nothing about snow.

I know about jungles, but nothing about beaches made of sand.

I read and study all the time now; it gives me something to do.

When you are through learning, it means you are really through.

GRATITUDE

Gratitude is a positive emotion that is almost impossible to have too much of. It involves being thankful for someone or something. One of the things that nurtures happiness is being grateful for what you have, rather than feeling sad or wishing for things you don’t have. If you want something to happen, work toward it; wishing alone doesn’t make it so.

Think of the people who have influenced your life and taught you lessons. Some of them you may have never met, but they helped you in some way. Thank them in your heart, even if they are no longer with us; who knows, they might hear you. Even if they don’t, you will feel better. 

I know several people who go through a list every night before bed of things they are grateful for that happened that day. I must admit I am one of them. The good stuff always outweighs the bad, and I sleep better.

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17 Saturday Jan 2026

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 NEVER TOO YOUNG TO LEARN

 When we are born, our brain wakes up.

There is very little, if anything, in it 

It is empty now, but will fill up.

Like a sponge, it absorbs information.

It starts to form who I am

 A cute woman or a macho man.

This self-image will control and direct my life

I want to be the very best of what I am

It depends on what I see, hear, and 

Experience as I grow up

I will do my best to be

Who am I?

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

JUST FOR FUN

When there is nothing special to write about, and you are a writer, you must create something.  A writer must keep writing; that is who and what we are. It is a great self-image, but a hard one to keep. I will be sharing some of my idle times with you every so often, so you can see how hard it is.

Practicing the English language

Why is it that we can only see the stars when they are out, but can’t see much of anything when the lights are out?

I did a bad thing and wanted to make amend, but you can’t; you must make amends. So, I did a few more bad things so I could.

I wanted to take the longest zip line in the world. One person said, “Fat chance.” A second person said, “Slim chance.” I didn’t know which one to believe. I didn’t know if they were wise men or just wise guys.

I had a friend who called me in a panic and said, “My house is on fire and is burning up.” I knew he was distraught and meant his house was burning down.

Why do you have to fill in a form when they ask you to fill it out?

I spent time looking for the boxing ring at the gym before someone told me it was the square thing in the corner.

A friend told me I had a lot of odds and ends in my house, but he didn’t tell me which were the odds, and which were the ends.

These are just a few examples that demonstrate the creativity of the human mind. I don’t think the right hand was talking to the left hand when they created the language. I didn’t even know the hands spoke to each other.

I just found out that cows killed more people than sharks. I was amazed. I didn’t even know that cows killed sharks.

BLOG 5/52

10 Saturday Jan 2026

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The First Tide Pool

This is neat

The water was all around my feet.

It comes in and goes out.

It climbs up my legs

Then goes away

It never stays.

 It is cold, making me scream

My limbs go numb and feel like pegs

But it is Ok, I know they are still my legs.

Adventure 552 ADD

We use the word adventure very loosely. It’s like many other words that can mean different things to different people and create a different image in the listener’s mind than you might have intended.

I believe that anything that pushes a person beyond their comfort level is an adventure. I love the phrase, “If you’re not walking on the edge, you’re taking up too much room.” The question then is, how do you know if you are on the edge or not?

If you become uncomfortable doing anything and question your ability to do it…, you are close to the edge. It might be sewing the hem on a dress or riding a bucking bronco. If you’re doubting your ability to do it, you’re on the edge. If you are successful, you have increased your world and feel proud of yourself. If you’re in trouble, that’s also beneficial; you’ve learned something.

I had a good friend who took many trips with me, who said, “Every time I take a trip with you, it’s a near-death experience.” I was having a good trip; he was having an adventure.

 We evaluate the things around us based on our own experience. It is essential to be aware that there is always someone better, so we won’t be shocked when they beat us. Walk on the edge as much as you can. Every time you do, you learn something that keeps you moving forward.

Learning something new is taking a step forward on an adventure. It doesn’t matter how inconsequential it is; it is a forward movement in your life, and that is the right direction. Be proud of it.

The only way for me to answer my own questions of what, why, and how was to become a marine biologist, so I did. Life as a scientist is, at its core, a life of wonder, because we never find the final answer to anything. Every new thing we learn or discover just creates more questions.

I didn’t realize that every time I learned something, I became dumber. Each new thing I learn creates many more questions I don’t know. I want to know everything about the latest development: how it works, where it came from, and so much I don’t understand about it. I am trying in life to get as dumb as possible.

The quest for knowledge never ends; it just expands. It has been an exciting and fulfilling life for me. I have come to realize that, like Sergeant Schultz of the old TV series Hogan’s Heroes, I “I know nothing,” but I have had an exciting and fun time trying to learn everything for over 91 years.

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30 Tuesday Dec 2025

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Sharon, A Departed Spouse

I thank you for orchestrating the best 35 years of my life. 

Our love was not a separate part of our lives

You were more than just my best friend.

It was what our lives were all about.

Rest in peace, my sweetheart, 

You were and will always be

 beloved by me 

And the ones that

 You showed what real love was,

The family.

The New Path  

You asked if I ever think of her,

I answered, “of course I do.”

My mind wanders back to my past,

Where memories that are buried seem to last.

But worry not, my dear sweet lady.

For when I think of the present, I think only of you.

My reflections are both happy and sad.

A wonderful life together

That ended too soon.

I held her hand for hours.

Until her last breath, her soul left the room.

How could I not remember her?

She was the core of my life.

For thirty-five years

She was both my lover and my wife.

But she is gone and no longer exists.

She said to me before she left

On this one thing I must insist,

Your life must continue forward

Grief must not stop you

Don’t fall behind; you must resist.

Love is everywhere; if you look, you will find.

Life alone is not meant to be.

Find someone who is not like me.

Your memory will last, but I represent the past,

You’re on a new road now,

New faces, new places, new fields to plow.

Now, sweet lady, I am with you

And all she said has come true.

Mine is a new life, we’ll call it Act III.

And we will explore it together,

Just you and me.

——————————————————————————————————-

What Does It Mean When You Say You Love Someone?


I have written about love in some of my other books; what I said in them
was what I believed to be true, and I still do. Love’s definition, like
everything else in my life, has matured with age. I have called it a concept,
and it is how we use it in English. What, then, is the definition of it? Now, at
age 91 years, I have more to say about what the word love means to me.
All my life, I have taken the word and broken it up into parts.
An example would be telling my wife, ‘I love you,’ then asking, ‘What are we
having for lunch? I love lunch; it’s my favorite meal.’ Does the word love
change its meaning? It must; you don’t love your wife the same way you
love your lunch. I would fight to protect my wife from someone who was
going to hurt her; I don’t care if I miss lunch. Why do we use the same
word? When we talk about lunch, we can use many different words, such
as appreciate, enjoy, or wish for, among others; however, when it comes to
our wives, the word ‘love’ is the only one that seems to fit. Why?
What does it mean that most other words wouldn’t convey? I have thought
about this a lot. What does it truly mean to love?
Love is like a puppy, cuddly and fun, and just like a puppy, it will grow much
stronger if it is well cared for; and you can have it at any age. It is up to you.
A baby loves its parents because it depends on them for care. That is the
only thing it understands about them. Young people love each other
because of the passion and innocence of youth in real life. There are many
personal qualities hidden within the word love, and it is used to mask them
so they can enter our lives.
A few of these include control over someone, dependency on someone,
sex and lust, and finally, security. Because there are so many reasons that
make us think we are in love, it is easy for us to make mistakes and realize
this later.
We say, “I don’t love you anymore. If that happens to you, it is
because you only love a person because they seemed to fit into your world
at the time.
True love can’t be broken up into parts. Love can be explained in one word:
it does not take more than that. What is the word? If you have ever had a dog that you loved, and he or she loved you too, you have experienced true
love. The dog doesn’t care what you do. It still loves you.
The only word I can think of that describes what true love is made of is
acceptance. You must fully accept what you say you love and not try to
change it. If you try to change it, then you don’t truly love it. You only love
certain parts of it. It’s challenging to love only parts of something and not
the whole. This also applies to people. It’s easy to find someone you love in
parts, but hard to find someone you love completely. That’s why people
often say, “I don’t love you anymore.” In a long relationship, you might find
parts you no longer love.
Love is a fantastic quality in life, but it must be an act of total acceptance to
be long-lasting. (See the poem “Home”.) Be a flower, it gives beauty and
asks nothing in return. It accepts you accepting it for what it is, nothing more.

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19 Friday Dec 2025

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HOW HAVE YOU KEPT A GOOD ATTITUDE?

When my mother passed away in 1969, I was devastated. I wrote this to help me
live my life like I knew she would have wanted me to. It has been my guide ever since. It has worked.

MY CREED
It is today, not tomorrow.
This is today; yesterday is history.
Every morning when I wake up, it will be today.
I will start each of my todays with a positive attitude.
I will not criticize anything, as it has accomplished nothing.

I refuse to utilize my time on things that accomplish nothing.
Today, I have one thing in which I know I am equal with others: time.
We all draw life’s paychecks in hours, minutes, and seconds, no favorites.
Today, I will not waste any of the time I have been given.
The minutes I wasted yesterday are already too costly to me.
Today, I refuse to use my time worrying about what might happen.
Instead, I’m going to utilize my time by working to make good things happen.

Today I am determined to improve myself.
For tomorrow, someone may need me to help them.
I must work hard today so I will not be found lacking tomorrow.
Today, I must accomplish something and not waste any of my limited time.

Today I will do the things I should do.

Today, I will stop doing things that I feel are harmful to me.
By the end of each week, I will be a better person than when I started.
My worth to myself and others is directly proportional to how I use my time.

Things in my world are not different.
I will not imagine what I would do if they were.
I will make the most of my life with what I have now.
I will arrange my schedule to make the most of my talents.

I will take time for my people.
I will not wait till tomorrow to say, “I love you.”
I will treat everyone I encounter in life as a true friend.
If I do these things, it will be a good day for me and those around me.
I DID THE BEST I COULD. I HOPE IT WAS AS GOOD AS I SHOULD.

(In 2026)

To my mother, Alice

I loved you as much as possible in my younger years,
But I didn’t appreciate all you did for me
Until I was an old man,
Looking back on my life.
You died way too young for me to tell you
How much I loved and needed you in my life.
You gave me the foundation that I live by.

You taught me how to handle my daily
Chores and how and why it was
Important to appreciate
Every one of them
To have a life
Worth living

I still judge whatever I do
Against the standard
Would my mother
Be proud of me

I thank you with all my heart and love.
JOHNNY Reseck Jr

Alice visits Siem Reap, Cambodia

(This is very special, written by my son JR III in Cambodia
At the age of 68, he recalled his grandmother from his childhood.

Maybe 1965,
in that double wide
a hundred yards from the ocean sand,
My father’s mother used both arms to shake it up, then
levered two sharp triangular holes,
the normal way back then,
opposite each other
into the top of that big tin can
that held the pineapple juice,
and poured some into a glass just for me.
It’s now more than fifty years
since then,
and I’m alone
in a Cambodian apartment
eight thousand miles from anyone I love,
tipping up a paper and plastic carton, pouring out some last drops of that same sweet tropical memory,
grateful for the heart she watered and grew in me, and the one who still visits
but I just no longer see.
12 April, 2025
Siem Reap, Cambodia
Love you,
By
John Reseck III

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12 Friday Dec 2025

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THE PATH

The quotes below have been meaningful in my life. To them, I say thank you. 

I HAVE USED THEM AS MY GUIDE. IT WILL

 GIVE YOU SOME INSIGHT ON

WHAT’S TO FOLLOW.

DO NOT FOLLOW WHERE THE PATH MAY LEAD

Go instead where there is no path

And leave a trail.

RALH WALDO EMERSON

LIFE

Do not cry because it is ending,

Live in joy because it

 Happened

I DON’T KNOW WHO SAID THAT

BUT THEY WERE RIGHT.

If a person sees the world at 50

The same way they saw it at 20

They have wasted 30 years.

Muhammad Ali

Adventure is worthwhile.

ARISTOTLE     

PERHAPS

Life is either a daring adventure 

Or nothing at all.

HELLEN KELLER

LIFE IS A FOUR-ACT PLAY

And you are the lead actor.

JOHN RESECK JR.

ACT I BEGINS AT BIRTH AND CONCLUDES AROUND THE AGE OF FIFTEEN.

Act II STARTS WHEN ACT I STOPS, AROUND 15 YEARS.

ACT III STARTS AT THE END OF ACT II, AROUND 65 YEARS  

THE START OF ACT IV, THAT’S THE END

THERE IS NO MORE

WE KNOW OF.

Perhaps there is

Once we are free 

But if there is, it’s not

Well-known to me.

I’ll wait to see 

What is to

 be.

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04 Thursday Dec 2025

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FORWARD

THIS WILL BE A SERIES OF POEMS

And of poetic writing that breaks most of the academic rules.

I APOLOGIZE FOR THAT.

IT IS JUST MY WAY.

I AM NOT A POET

I JUST WRITE WHAT

MY HEART HAS TO SHARE

IT IS A GLANCE INTO MY WORLD


I AM INVITING YOU TO VISIT ME THERE.

FOR 52 WEEKS


ONCE A WEEK FOR TEN MINUTES, AND I WILL SHARE

SOME OF MY PATHS WITH YOU.

SOME WILL BE INTERESTING

SOME WILL BE LAUGHABLE

SOME WILL BE STUPID

BUT ALL NECESSARY

TO LIVE THE LIFE

 I CHOSE TO

LIVE.

John Reseck Jr    

I WILL BE HERE NEXT WEEK.