Keepin' It Real with Cam Marston

On this week's Keepin It Real, Cam has been pitched by a software company to duplicate himself. Who would want another of him? Even he questions his own worth from time to time. 

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I've just come from my accountant's office where I handed all my tax information to the lady at the front desk. The manilla envelope was much lighter this year than in years past.

On this week's Keepin It Real, Cam realizes that he really had no choice over what he gave up for Lent - it was given to him and he's not happy about it. 

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Our new puppy continues to rule the house and my life. She was trained by the breeder to urinate on a pee pad which is exactly what it sounds like – an absorbent mat for dogs to urinate on indoors. At our house,...

On this week's Keepin It Real, Cam wonders what the life span of a titanium knee is and whether his father might need one or two more with the way he's going. 

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My eighty-nine-year-old father is scheduled to get a knee replacement next week. Let me say that again - he's eighty-nine and getting a new knee and is eager to return to his very active life when the pain ...

In a few coastal cities in the deep south, in the weeks before Lent begins, a strange behavior begins to appear. Honorable and respectable people step into a different personalities for a short time. They do it together, and it's a heck of a good time. 

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Grown people acting like fools for a few days might very well be good for the soul. I'm not sure how large group...

On this week's Keepin It Real, Cam Marston admits that from time to time when he's on his knees at church on Sunday he asks himself what in the world he's doing. Has he, maybe, lost his mind.

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The Mayan god of rain was called Cha ac. When drought hit the jungles of Central America fifteen hundred years ago, Cha ac was called upon to send rain. So, the Mayans, led b...

On this week's Keepin It Real, Cam is coming to the end of a month of no alcohol - Dry January. February begins soon, though. And Cam's wondering whether he'll continue on or not. 

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My dry January has just a couple days left. This is the third consecutive year I've participated in Dry January and I've remembered again how much I like it. Thirty ...

On this week's Keepin It Real, Cam's family got a new puppy. It's been nearly ten years since they got their last dog and much of his memory of having a puppy is gone. The memories are coming back fast. 

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We got a puppy. Her name is Rosie. She's a doodle of some sort. And while I say "we" got a puppy, truth be told, my wife got herself a puppy a...

On today's Keepin' It Real, Cam admits to packing something very strange on his recent trip. The result is an encounter he's always hoped for - it was the fulfillment of a long-held dream. 

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There is a series of episodes of the old sitcom Cheers where the character of Cliff Claven visits Florida and won't stop talking about it when he gets back. I'm about to do the...

On this week's Keepin It Real, Cam and his wife went to Belize in December and visited some of the ruins that Belize is famous for. On his trip he stood atop one of the Mayan temples and realized that though it was a long time ago, maybe things haven't changed that much. 

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Just prior to the full brunt of the holidays my wife and I took a quick trip to Belize. I wanted to warm...

On this week's Keepin It Real, Cam discussion rebellion in children and how it's recently hit his home.

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All children rebel against their family and their parents. I certainly did. I see photos of myself as a teen with hair touching my collar and remember my father telling me over and over again to get it cut. I didn't and maybe I didn't because it bothered him so much. I knew my kids would rebel, too. It ...

On today's keepin it real, Cam reminds each of us AND HIMSELF that being thankful is not a seasonal behavior but an attitude we should aspire to live year round.

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Today the tone should be, well, thankful. Thankful for my friends and family.  Thankful for my health and safety.  Thankful for all the food I had yesterday. Thankful that its finally getting cool outside. Thankful that no on...

On this Week's Keepin It Real, Cam is tired of people not from Alabama degrading and belittling our state. But in this certain case, Cam says, we might deserve it. 

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Go find a podcast called The Alabama Murders. It's a seven-episode series by author Malcolm Gladwell done under his Revisionist History podcast. I love Revisionist History – it's been one of my favorit...

Are traditions the same thing as routines, they're just done less frequently? And if the tradition is both loved and hated, what does that mean? On today's Keepin It Real, Cam shares that he both loves and hates them. 

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I have a routine that I practice nearly every day. I both look forward to it and hate...

On this week's Keepin It Real, it's Friday and Cam's brain has had enough. He once wanted to keep going. Now, he's just hoping to make it to today. 

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I can remember complaining that there simply weren't enough days in the week to get all the stuff I needed get done done. I wished that each day was longer and the work week had more days to it. I wanted a twelve-hour...

On this week's Keepin It Real, another chapter closes in Cam's life. And he wonders what comes next. 

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John Cougar Mellencamp has a song called Ain't Even Done with the Night. It's one of my favorites. That song became a regular part of my days four or five years ago. I'd pick my daughter up from her volleyball practice and as we made the turn from the gym onto the larger road, I'd ask Siri to play it. My...

On this week's Keepin It Real, Cam Marston continues to be interested in the research he's doing on retirement trends. He's discovered something called a Men's Shed which is different from a Man Cave where men can go and stand next to each other. 

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My work continues to lead me into retirement research. Specifically, how to make retirement fruitf...

On this week's Keepin It Real, Cam Marston and his buddies are beginning to discuss retirement. Cam's learning, though, that maybe working so hard to get to retirement may not be worth all the effort. 

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The subject of retirement has come with my crowd lately. A few years ago, we maybe whispered about retirement, but now it's a full-on conversation – when are you going to reti...

On this week's Keepin It Real, Cam's on his way home from a conference. He began making notes a few days ago about what his years and years of attending conferences has taught him. A bingo card might be fun, he says. 

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I speak at few dozen conferences each year. My audiences are the same – thinning brown haired, slightly overweight, middle aged white guys dominate each room. These are my people. I've learn...

On this week's Keepin' It Real, Cam admits he feels helpless in today's political climate but he's found something he can do. It's very small, but at least it's something. 

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I have quite a few friends who, over the years, have tried to persuade me to get out of the stock market due to some crisis or another. "Pull all your money out," they say, "this time it's not some run of...