During my early retirement days, I became acutely aware that a number of wonderful things I had read and learned during my lifetime were now a vague memory … and that bothered me. I resolved to do something about it. As a first step, I began to read all the books I originally bought but never read, but with one twist. This time around, I made copious notes of all those ideas and thoughts I considered dynamic and consequential. Over the years and with additional purchases my curated collection grew so large, there was enough material to fill a book.

Unfortunately, my compilation of notes and clippings had no structure or plot behind them. I decided to consolidate ideas and thoughts that shared the same conceptual themes and built topical headlines around them. By introducing a pinch of humor into the mix and sketching my writing as if I were communicating informally before friends and family, Pockets of Insight obtained its identity, i.e., a piece of writing capable of teaching, touching, and tickling too.