The Mason Minute

We live in stressful times. Technically, we’re involved in a war in the Middle East. We have so much political strife in our country, but what’s the biggest Easter crisis this year? Reese‘s Peanut Butter Eggs. People are complaining that this year’s Reese’s eggs don’t have as much chocolate and don’t taste the same as last year’s. Hershey, the company that makes them, admits they changed their chocolate formula. D...

We all have cravings. But over the last couple of weeks, I’ve had one for something I’ve never really desired before. I’ve been craving water. My doctors have me limiting my fluids. I’m only supposed to drink 64 ounces a day for now. And I understand they don’t want me drinking soda, alcohol, or anything in general that’s bad for me. That’s okay. I’m fine, just drinking water. But now it’s all I want. I feel dehydrated. I’m often p...

If you’re a typical pet owner, your dogs or cats are just like a member of the family. And the hardest thing to have to deal with is saying goodbye. It’s never easy, and never fun. And while I still mourn all the pets I’ve had over the years, I’m feeling a bit melancholy today. My sister-in-law had to say goodbye to one of her dogs the other day. And I didn’t realize how hard it would hit me. Molly and I had a routine every t...

Throughout our lives, we have been warned that salt is not good for us. And as we get older, we understand the nuances between the salt shaker and sodium. While salt contains sodium, other products also contain the mineral, so we have to pay attention to them. My doctor has warned me that I need to start looking at cutting out all sodium from my diet. I’ve never been a salt user, so that’s the easy part, but the hidden sodium in al...

How much do you know about the food you give your pets? Back in my Radio days, I learned a lot about cat food when I was spokesman for one of the big brands. But as much as I learned about cat food, I still don’t know a lot. And when it comes to dog food, I know even less. It’s been a long time since I had a dog, but I can’t even remember what we fed it or why. I keep seeing TV commercials telling me that kibble is bad for a dog. A...

Let me ask you a serious question. Are you happy? In all honesty, I don’t know what that means. The term is so vague and so personalized. I don’t think we all see happiness equally. One thing that most of the world will agree on is that Americans aren’t very happy. And this just isn’t a recent development. It’s something that’s been going on for years. In terms of happiness, the United States ranks only 23rd worldwide. Number one, ...

I know that people can be split into two groups: coffee drinkers and non-coffee drinkers. I guess you could say the same thing about tea. Although I know some people who love iced tea but avoid hot tea. When it comes to tea, I’m all in. There’s something about brewing tea that is calming. I’m sure it goes back to my younger days when my mother would brew tea for me when I wasn’t feeling good. I don’t drink it as often as I want to,...

Fifteen years ago today, the first episode of The Mason Minute debuted. I hung up my headphones after leaving the radio business in 2006. But I never imagined taking on a project like a podcast. And most podcasts only last a few years. And I think about that fact often. But in all honesty, I never thought I would do this for even a decade, let alone 15 years. Now, I can’t imagine not doing it, and even though it’s only 60 seconds l...

I’ve always been amused that nearly every fast food restaurant sells a fish sandwich during the Lenten season. I understand why they do it, but I always wondered why they took it off the menu after Easter. Of course, the most popular fish sandwich is also my favorite fish sandwich, the McDonald’s Filet-o-Fish. I always figured they sold the majority of their Filet-o-Fish during Lent. But that’s not the case. I recently read t...

If you spend any time at the grocery store, you’ve likely spent an ample amount of time looking at expiration dates. I understand the need for them, but I’m honestly confused about why some products need one. For example, the other night I was getting ready to put on the nose strip I use to keep my airways open while I sleep. I’ve used them for years, but didn’t realize they had expiration dates until recently. Why? What part of th...

I’ve had many unique experiences throughout my life. But until recently, I’ve never been shamed by a social media platform. Technically, they weren’t successful, but they tried. A couple of weeks ago, when I slowed down the Mason Minute at my doctor’s request, Facebook messaged me to say I was now posting 30% less than I normally do. They were trying to make me feel guilty for not posting every day. I’m not sure what they hop...

We’ve had some very strange weather over the last couple of weeks. It’s been both hot and cold, sometimes in the same day. I’ve had to switch from heat to air conditioning and back to heat in the span of 24 hours. We’ve experienced record highs in the mid-80s, and now, on Monday, it won’t even reach 45°. My body is very sensitive to temperature these days, and it’s been tough for me. I can be freezing one minute and then almo...

With all of the doctor visits I’ve had over the last couple of weeks, losing weight has been a major topic of discussion. They touch on the typical points: reduce fat, cut carbs, and cut out both sugar and salt. I try to avoid most of those things, but I do admit I enjoy having a bagel with cream cheese every morning. But the doctor wants me to give that up. So he suggested substituting English muffins. And while I don’t mind them,...

I have big feet. I’m not saying this to be boastful; I’m just stating a fact. I’ve had big feet since I was a kid. But I never thought they would keep growing. My father has worn the same size shoes for as long as I can remember. My feet grew a couple of sizes into my mid-20s. But over the last few years, they’ve continued to grow. Part of the problem is that our feet flatten out as we get older. But this isn’t only a width issue. ...

After getting out of the hospital last week, the one thing the doctor wanted me to do was take it easy. I figured that would be a simple thing to do. I quickly found out it wasn’t so simple. Even when I’m relaxing, I’m often multitasking. That’s how my brain works, and I’m trying to slow down. Things have been tough. I joked with the doctor and told him he didn’t have to worry about me running any marathons. But while I could...

When I was in the hospital last week, I got caught between two different departments that didn’t communicate. It felt like the right hand didn’t know what the left hand was doing. And I wondered where that phrase came from. It’s actually an adaptation of a Bible verse. Matthew 6:3 says, Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. And the verse indicates that charitable action should be done in secret to avoid hypo...

The Mason Minute is coming up on its 15th anniversary. We’ve done it day in and day out for almost the entire time. When a couple of friends convinced me to grab a microphone again after retiring from radio, I decided to do the podcast three or four times a week just for fun. But within the first week, I knew it had to be a daily thing. And we almost hit the 15-year mark. But if you pay any attention, we’ve missed the last three da...

I know the world is filled with entitled people. Or should I say, people who feel entitled? But have you noticed how the number keeps growing daily? I’ve had my moments throughout the years where I thought I was special. But it didn’t take long to learn that I wasn’t. We used to have a running joke about waiting for people to say, “Do you know who I am?” Sadly, that joke isn’t funny anymore; it’s often true. And this is...

I doubt that this will shock you. But every time the winter Olympic Games happen, there’s a huge interest spike in winter sports. Things like ice hockey, skiing, ice-skating, and even curling get people hyped. They get so caught up in the games that they want to start experimenting with and trying those sports. But there’s a problem we’re starting to face. Climate change is affecting the amount of ice and snow worldwide. That...