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Welcome to FedtoFreedom.Org
Explore a world of humor, reflection. The many blog posts will take you on a journey to the past, present, and get you thinking about the future.
Get ready to laugh, and reflect.
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Growing Up Then, Living Now: A Holiday Season of Gratitude
The holidays have a way of pulling us backward and forward at the same time. Growing up in the Midwest of the ’70s and ’80s gave many of us a simple, grounded view of life — one that feels worlds away from today. This season, I’m finding gratitude in the memories, the miles, and the people who shaped both.
gmaylone
25 minutes ago


The World Is Strange, and We Live in It, a grocery store misunderstanding.
A quick grocery run turns into a tiny comedy of errors when a simple word like “absolve” sends a cashier into suspicion and a stranger steps in to save the moment. Just another day in checkout lane seven.
gmaylone
5 days ago


When the Christmas Gift List Becomes a Hostage Situation and Stops Feeling Like Giving
At some point in adulthood, you wake up one morning, look at your bank account, look at your Amazon cart, and realize something profound:
You are buying Christmas gifts for people you might not have had a real conversation with since pay phones were a thing.
gmaylone
Dec 10


Connections Beyond Borders, My life of Movement and Momentum!
Living at the Crossroads of History: In the 1980s, I served as a soldier stationed in Germany.
It was a world living in the shadow of the Cold War.
The Berlin Wall was still a scar on the landscape — a reminder of what fear can build and what war can leave behind. I witnessed history firsthand: the wall’s collapse in 1989, the tense days leading into Desert Storm, and the complicated human realities that are never captured in textbooks.
I remember that night the wall came d
gmaylone
Dec 3


We are never really ready for a final Goodbye.
I had lunch with a friend a few months ago.
Nothing dramatic. No big occasion. Just one of those “hey, it’s been too long, let’s get together” kind of lunches.
One of many more to come, I was sure.
We sat outside. The weather was beautiful. We talked, laughed, traded a few war stories from work, and did that thing we all do:
“We’ve got to do this again soon.”
And then life did what life always does—rolled forward.
Work, appointments, errands, projects. Then, out of nowhere
gmaylone
Nov 29


Greed! The Corporate Takeover of Holidays: Rediscovering the True Spirit of Thanksgiving and Christmas
My loving wife has quietly—strategically—turned me into a Hallmark officiant.
The sheer volume of Christmas movies they produce is astonishing.
If the Marvel Cinematic Universe ever collapses, Hallmark can pick up the franchise and keep generating 30 new plots a year without breaking a sweat.
And that’s what got me thinking this morning. "Hallmark is cashing in on the holidays." Because here I am in my family’s hometown, talking with relatives about the way things used to b
gmaylone
Nov 27


The strange evolution of friendship
A heartfelt reflection on why some friendships uplifts us, others drain us, and how age reveals the difference.
gmaylone
Nov 25


When You Finally Exit the Machine
That’s the part nobody prepares you for — the speed of irrelevance.
You reach out to check in, and people are busy. You were once on speed dial — now you’re on the “get back when I can” list. It’s not personal, but it feels personal.
You see how fast you’re replaced, and it stings. All those years, all that effort, and the second you turn in your laptop and ID card, that door doesn’t close softly — it slams.
gmaylone
Nov 7


Resilience, Relevance, and Reinvention: Thriving When Life Hits Pause
Shutdowns, layoffs, realignments — they all feel the same when your world suddenly stops spinning. But the truth is, you can’t control the storm; you can control your posture in it. Here’s how to use disruption as a catalyst for reflection, reinvention, and resilience.
gmaylone
Nov 1


Cleansing your life with Sage! The things we do for love!
When a friend’s girlfriend insists on cleansing your house with sage and salt, manners meet madness—and Mr. Peabody the cat bears silent witness.
gmaylone
Oct 30


Rethinking the Next Chapter: Mid-Career and Beyond
Mid-career isn’t the end—it’s the pivot point. This is the time to reflect, realign, and choose what the second half of your life will look like with purpose and clarity.
gmaylone
Oct 18


Memories: Ghosts We Hammer on the Anvil of life.
A reflective walk through time and memory — where an unexpected reunion sparks deeper thoughts about how life and time forge us all. “Forged by Time” explores friendship, change, and the heat that shapes who we become.
gmaylone
Oct 16
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