The Mason Minute

For many families, medical bills can be a major source of stress. Anytime there’s a doctor visit, hospital stay, or even a trip to the emergency room, the bills that come with those are often large. Since I’ve been fairly healthy most of my life and don’t have kids, I didn’t worry about these things. But that changed less than two months ago, with one trip to the emergency room, two short hospital...

We spend most of our lives searching for answers. For those of us who lack patience, we’re really just wanting answers. It doesn’t matter the situation, the quicker we know what's going on, the quicker we're able to deal with it. For the last seven weeks, I’ve been needing answers. I’ve been impatient. It’s taken a long time to get the full picture of my heart. We knew part of the problem, but we...

Many people say the media tends to exaggerate some facts. One area where I know that’s true is when patting themselves on the back for their achievements. Oftentimes, when someone’s worked in a town for a long time, they’re often dubbed a local legend, and many times that’s an exaggeration. Late last week, Indianapolis radio icon Bob Kevoian lost his battle with cancer at age 75. He was one half o...

I’ve had a pet peeve that I’m sure I’ve talked about before. But it seems to be getting worse in recent years. Advertisers have always used songs to promote their products. And over the last few decades, rather than creating custom jingles, they have used popular songs. In recent years, companies have started using songs that weren’t big hit records but may have found popularity on places like MTV...

For the last six weeks, since my visit to the emergency room, I have felt a little off. Part of the reason is due to all the medications they have me on to try to get my body prepared for surgery, and for the future. Because of these medications, I’ve already lost 40 pounds. And while that’s a good thing, I’m sure it’s part of the reason I don’t feel so good. My heart specialist said I’d feel like...

My doctors have put me on a low-sodium diet. And truthfully, that’s not something I focused on through the years. Calories, fat, sugars, all of the things the weight loss experts tell you to focus on. So now, my wife and I are reading labels for every product at the grocery store. I realize many products have natural sodium, but as I’m finding, many add sodium for shelf stability. It’s going to be...

Through the years, I’ve had a challenging relationship with doctors. And I’m being kind by using the word challenging. I’ve not had much luck with them. But over the last six weeks, I spent more time talking to doctors than I would like. But when I was in the hospital last week, one of my nurses explained why I have such issues. She said doctors love everything by the book. And when they’re faced...

We all have quirks. Although I don’t know if you’d consider this a quirk, I like to be punctual. But every now and then, you have to accept defeat. But, as the old saying goes, better late than never. It’s been a few days since the last Mason Minute, in fact, probably the longest span since we started the podcast 15 years ago. Another unexpected hospital stay kept me away from the microphone. And...

I’ve been thinking a lot about the difference between fear and being scared. I had to go to the hospital today for some outpatient surgery. I’m scared. And it’s the first time I honestly believe I’ve been scared in a long time. I fear things, but I've realized it's not to the point of being scared. The doctor says this is a routine procedure, and while it is for him, it’s definitely not for me. I...

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 cho...

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 w...

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. Moll...

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 eas...

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...

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 rank...

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 do...

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...

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 no...

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 u...

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 da...

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 free...

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 mu...

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....

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...

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 sho...