Glen Carlson

Wisdom Statement - “You can't go wrong by doing the right thing.

I was born in Duluth, Minnesota and raised in my early years above Daugherty Hardware where my dad worked. Daugherty’s was situated in a small town-like commercial district, where a lone child roaming outdoors did not sound the alarms that it does today. In my early teens, I was shaped by nature’s way at our north woods cabin. I also learned much about life by rising early every morning with my dog Mitzi, to deliver the Duluth News Tribune. As a rather unfocused high school graduate, I opted for adventure over college. I found more adventure than I bargained for on the brown waters of the Mekong Delta during my tour of duty in Vietnam.

After the service, I hefted the shifting weight of innocence-lost by hitching, hopping and trucking around the country. Along the way, I was tagged as a recipient of grace and found the keys of life in the heart of a great soul who became my loving collaborator in building a tribe of daughters, grandchildren and now, great-grandchildren. After our wedding, we decided to strike the family tipi and sell off our homestead to help fund a higher call as a late blooming college freshman of twenty-six. During the work years that followed graduation, I would trade my career in television for a 45-year solo journey of writing and production, and marketing and advertising.

My early 50s marked a season of sorrows buffered by strengths of much sustaining love. In 2003, Marn succumbed to the corruptions of cancer. In time, I would be graced again, by Tracy, my loving second-half of life partner. Ten years ago, I swung on another pivot point after reading a meditation which led to a transformational release of mindful living. At 74, I am still reeling out lifelines and celebrating full-circle living by noting the waves of wonder that overflow the path of this shorter side of life.