Category: Editorials

Well, my sophomore year at the University of West Florida has officially come to a close. It definitely was a year for the books, but I am welcoming summer with open arms…

Learning to whistle is an important rite of passage. I’ll never forget sitting on the front steps of my grandparents’ house next to my great-granny, learning how to whistle. We tried the…

I rarely look forward to this time of the year. In a way, it almost feels like the day right after Christmas. Both high school baseball and softball season are finished and…

Over the weekend, my team won the series against our rival, Valdosta State. We were playing right up the road from my hometown and it was surreal to be playing on the…

When I taught elementary school, there were many lessons I delivered with passion. I instructed. They practiced. The activity then became a center in the class rotation for the week. Then, after…

I don’t like to get into a whole lot of politics here. Primarily because I know that most of you who will agree with me will still agree with me. Those of…

Trying new things and allowing change in your life is arguably one of the hardest things to do as humans. Collectively, we hate change. We like having a routine and sticking with…

At Madison Primary School, back when the Teddy Bears’ campus sat where the hospital and college science building now reside, we excitedly participated in Field Day each spring. I counted the days…

I recently found myself in need of some medical attention. Nothing drastic, just something I needed a medical professional to help handle. I reached out to one doctor’s office and saw that…

Today is Sunday, April 16, while I am writing this week’s column, and this one is going to be one for the books. I just witnessed three of my teammates get baptized…

Each week, I look at my calendar and plan this in for my mental health. Not only is it good for my mental and emotional well-being, but physically, my body is growing …

Earlier this week, we saw yet another news report of a tragic school shooting, this time at a Christian school in Nashville, Tenn. As I was driving home on the afternoon of…

• Mice can leave 40 to 100 droppings a day • If there is one mouse, there are usually more • A house mouse can have a dozen babies every three weeks…

The more trips I take around that big yellow ball of gas in the sky, the more I feel I can relate to the people I once thought of as “old.” I…

As sheetrock mud splattered down from the ceiling onto my shirt, I wondered what my teenage self would think if she saw me now. I always wanted to live in a country…

Since I began my little adventure here at the newspaper, I’ve been called many things. Some of them actually good. Some of them not as good. I’m sure some of them can’t…

Those folks who know me well, know that I have never been a very picky eater. In actuality, it only takes a casual glance to see that I have not turned down…

Rick Patrick, Columnist Those of you who have seen me out and about at any point in time over the last several months may have noticed that I wear a brace on…

“No way. SpongeBob is a rectangle. See, he has two longer sides and two shorter sides.” “No, he’s not a rectangle. He’s three-dimensional. SpongeBob is a rectangular prism.” These two third-grade boys…