Buenos días, Bonjour and top of the morning to ya! Welcome to another a beautiful day in the making, this is Spiess in the Morning broadcasting and podcasting from the spectacular studios next to the swamp and today, I want to talk about chapters. Life chapters. Those stretches of time that open and close, whether we’re ready for them or not.
But first. Let’s set the day with a positive thought and source of energy. This is our fortune cookie segment of the show, but it’s a little different and there’s no cookie. Now, today I will be putting “I am growing and I am going at my own pace” out into the world and universe. Feel free to take a moment and do the same or different as I get today’s show ready and set.
Now, back to those next chapters.
For me it’s been that feeling—the house is quieter than it’s been in years, the coffee cup sits in the same spot, and you realize that the life you’ve been living… well, it’s changed. For me, it’s the empty nest.
My son has a full-time job now. He’s stable. He’s thriving. And suddenly, the rhythms of a household full of energy, chaos, and yes, love, are… different. And that’s the thing about chapters: one ends, and another quietly waits, like a book left open on the kitchen table.
Some chapters are short and explosive—full of drama, excitement, and the kind of stories you tell your friends for years. Some are long and steady, a slow build, like the Minnesota prairie in July, stretching on forever. Some sneak up on you, almost unnoticed, and some… well, some announce themselves like a Rolling Stones riff, impossible to ignore. And no matter the type, they all teach something.
Even the Bible, even the ancients, even cultures from around the world understood the rhythm of life. There’s a time for everything—time to plant, time to reap, time to mourn, time to dance. The Greeks wrote about transitions as hero journeys. Egyptians honored life stages in their rituals. Every culture, every age, understood that life isn’t static. It’s a series of pages, each one shaping the next.
So what does turning the page mean? It doesn’t mean forgetting. It doesn’t mean leaving behind the love, the struggle, or the lessons. It means carrying them forward into a new space, a new rhythm, a new story.
For me, this next chapter? It’s wide open. Maybe it’s traveling to a place I’ve never been. Maybe it’s finally writing, creating, seeing friends more, volunteering, or even just sitting quietly on the porch with a cup of coffee and actually noticing the sunrise. Maybe it’s all of it. Maybe it’s nothing. And that’s okay. Because life’s chapters are yours to write, even if you’re still figuring out the plot.
And here’s the beauty: turning the page is a choice. You don’t have to do it perfectly. You don’t have to have a plan. You just… do it. You move forward. You embrace the unknown. You honor the past, but you don’t live in it. And when you do, something amazing happens: freedom. Freedom to create, freedom to explore, freedom to see what comes next.
So here’s my invitation today. Think about your next chapter. Maybe it’s small. Maybe it’s big. Maybe it’s frightening. Maybe it’s exciting. Whatever it is, don’t be afraid to turn the page. Show up. Live it. Write it in your own words. And maybe, just maybe, you’ll find that life’s chapters aren’t something that happen to you—they’re something you get to shape, one page at a time.
Today, I am reminding myself and anyone else listening to honor the past, embrace the present, and turn the page together.
Up next is a song I wrote and produced after being inspired by the wave of next chapters that washed over my life this past decade.
Who’s ready for a little bubble gum for the mind? I mean we’re talking about something that seems simple, but in the modern world has become downright complicated: time.
Yeah, that sneaky little thing that used to feel like it moved slower than a tractor up County Road 10, and now… now it feels like it’s doing donuts in the parking lot while we’re trying to keep up.
Time management today isn’t about calendars or planners anymore. It’s about survival. Every ping, every notification, every little buzz from your phone is a tug on your attention. We live in a world of instant interruptions, of endless scrolling, of constant temptation to escape. TikTok, YouTube, streaming—whatever it is, it whispers: “Hey, forget that task… just spend five more minutes here.” And five minutes turns into fifty, and suddenly your day has evaporated like steam off a hot cup of coffee.
Before COVID, life had a rhythm. We could plan our mornings, our workdays, even weekends, with some sense of control. You knew when the grocery store closed, when the school bus ran, when the local diner served pie. And now? The boundaries are gone. Work bleeds into home, home bleeds into work, social media bleeds into both, and moods… well, managing your moods has become more important than managing markets.
Because let’s be honest—if you’re cranky, distracted, or emotionally depleted, it doesn’t matter how well the stock market performs. You can’t function. You can’t think clearly. You can’t even enjoy a cup of coffee without guilt creeping in.
Even the Bible has lessons about this. It talks about stewardship—not just of money or land, but of time. Redeem the time, it says, because the days are short. The ancients knew something we often forget: discipline and presence are the building blocks of a life well-lived. The Greeks, the Romans, the sages of Confucius—they didn’t have Slack or Instagram, but they had distractions. Politics, gossip, games, temptations. Sound familiar? Some things never change.
The solution? It isn’t heroic. It isn’t about doing more. It’s about choice. Boundaries. Attention. Presence. Decide what matters. Close the doors on the rest. Put your phone down for a little while. Focus. Work. Create. Listen. Engage. And notice your moods along the way. Because if you can’t manage the mood, you can’t manage the day.
And how often do we end up managing moods at the office? Now that’s a whole other thread… no that’s a whole other special feature.
Here’s the real trick: treat your time like a garden. You can’t just scatter seeds and hope for flowers. You weed out distractions, you nurture what’s important, and eventually—you get growth. You get results. You get moments that feel like life is moving just slow enough for you to enjoy it. And when you look back at the end of the day or the week, you’re not thinking about all the wasted hours, you’re thinking about what you built, what you created, what you shared.
Allllrighhhhty then, here’s my personal challenge today, you can play along if you like. Don’t just go through the motions. Watch where your time goes. Guard it like it’s your most valuable asset—because it is. Be intentional. Create boundaries. Protect your energy. And maybe, just maybe, you’ll find that time, the way it used to feel on a quiet County Road 10 morning, can slow down enough for you to sip your coffee, listen to the birds, and actually enjoy the day.
This next song is one I wrote when I was in a place where I took time seriously, one moment, one second, one choice, one chapter at a time.
Welcome back to Spiess in the Morning broadcasting and podcasting from the spectacular studios next to the swamp and next we’re talking about little white lies. You know the ones—the “I’m fine” when you’re not, the “that sweater looks great” when it doesn’t, the “I didn’t eat the last cookie” even though your dog is giving you that guilty look.
Little white lies—they’re everywhere. Pop culture glorifies them sometimes: sitcoms, rom-coms, even reality TV. “Just tell them what they want to hear,” they say. But we all know, those small fibs, they have a way of stacking up. Like a snowbank in February—it starts small, innocent, but give it time, and suddenly you’re buried.
And humans have been wrestling with this forever. The Bible? Straight talk. Proverbs warns that deceit, even in small doses, twists the heart and breaks trust. Colossians says, “Do not lie to one another.” It’s not about being harsh—it’s about the truth being a foundation for life that actually works. Even in the New Testament, Jesus talks about honesty in speech, because what seems harmless can ripple out in ways you never expect.
Other cultures? Oh, they’ve got rules, too. In Japan, there’s the concept of tatemae—the polite facade you show the world, balancing honesty with social harmony. In India, stories in the Mahabharata and Panchatantra show cleverness—but they also warn: a small lie can grow into a big disaster.
And the Inuit? They’ll tell you honesty is practical—because in a place where survival depends on trust, a little lie can get you—and your whole group—into serious trouble.
So why do we tell them? Sometimes to protect feelings, sometimes to avoid drama, sometimes because it feels easier than the truth. But here’s the thing—life’s chapters move fast. You’re raising kids, managing jobs, paying bills, scrolling your phone, and if your foundation is built on tiny fibs… well, eventually the cracks show.
Maybe the lesson here isn’t perfection. Maybe it’s awareness. Notice when a little white lie slips out. Ask yourself—does it really help, or is it a snowball waiting to roll? Because truth, even small truths, can make life lighter. You feel freer, more connected, less weighed down by the fiction we spin.
So today let’s be honest, let’s be kind, but let’s remember the little things we say matter. Even the “harmless” stuff. Spiess in the Morning… where we keep on keeping on trying to keep it real, one chapter, one little truth at a time.
This next tasty lick I wrote after counting how many time I was lied to in a day just living a regular life. When I presented it to my group of musicians during the recording session, there was a lot of interest and connection to this song.
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Kate’s Korner Antiques & Collectables is open for the season in Elizabeth! Located across the street from the liquor store on Hwy 59, Kate’s Korner is a must stop and see. If you see the flags flapping in the wind, she’s open and ready to serve your nostalgic needs.
Paul’s Farm Fresh Eggs - $3/dozen - call or text 218-205-7779 (The Greater Elizabeth Area)
Abbie’s Farm Fresh Eggs - $9 for 30 eggs - washed or unwashed - call or text 320-349-0942 (The Greater Morris Area)
IBC Totes for sale - Endless uses for these totes from firewood storage to rainwater catcher to stacking two for an outdoor shower. Pick up encouraged, delivery available. Food grade are $100 each and non-food grade are $65 each. Call 218-639-1116
Gouda Girl Freeze Dried Dog Treats - 60% Grass Fed Beef Liver, 25% Organic Apple Slices and 15% Organic Gouda Cheese - $5/bag and $9/bag available. Monthly subscriptions and custom blends also available. Call 218-531-3220
Moore Farm & Kennel - Pure Bred Golden Retrievers (Verndale area). 218-639-8510
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