Michael Mackie

2 months ago | michaelmackie.com | Michael Mackie

Last night at a friend’s 50th surprise birthday party, I had to relive one of the single most embarrassing moments of my life. I look back on the idiotic interaction now with a bit of affinity and affection. But, at the time — in the early twenty-tens — I fully expected to die of mortification. I was in a very rural Catholic church in Central Iowa for a baptism or christening or something. It definitely involved a prim and proper priest and there was a plenty of pomp and circumstance.

Aug 30, 2023 | michaelmackie.com | Michael Mackie

My folks had been married fifteen years before I burst onto the scene. As they so often pointed out, I was quite an unexpected surprise. (Not unlike a clearance sale at JC Penney.)I’m guessing that’s because after 15 years of trying, both of them assumed parenthood wasn’t in the cards. And then I came along—conceived on a rustic fishing trip in Canada, no less. (Come to think of it, I should really have dual citizenship.)When I was born, The Bevinator was nearly 40. And Dad was 44.

Aug 30, 2023 | michaelmackie.com | Michael Mackie

My folks had been married fifteen years before I burst onto the scene. As they so often pointed out, I was quite an unexpected surprise. (Not unlike a clearance sale at JC Penney.)I’m guessing that’s because after 15 years of trying, both of them assumed parenthood wasn’t in the cards. And then I came along—conceived on a rustic fishing trip in Canada, no less. (Come to think of it, I should really have dual citizenship.)When I was born, The Bevinator was nearly 40. And Dad was 44.

Jun 15, 2023 | michaelmackie.com | Michael Mackie

(Dateline: Des Moines, 5:55 a.m.)Just so we’re all clear, I could easily sleep 12 – 14 hours at a stretch back in my 20s and 30s. The mere thought of stirring before the crack of noon was an impossibility on weekends or if I had a day off. Now, like any other cool, crisp summer morning, I’m up and writing outside just as the sun breaks the horizon. Why? No, it’s not because I’m old. (Rude.) It’s because I’ve become consumed with birds, which—you’re right—kinda coincides with, um, getting old.

Apr 5, 2023 | michaelmackie.com | Michael Mackie

Real talk—I kicked off 2023 heavier than I’d ever been before. My feet were perpetually killing me. I was also cranky and bloated. And don’t even get me started on the litany of aches and pains in every last one of my joints. So, I decided to try intermittent fasting. Sounds good in theory, right? And while it might work for some people, I found myself eating a tremendous amount of crap for only six hours per day—you know, as opposed to eight or ten. Bless. Clearly, something had to give.