Welcome to Simple Joe. I’m glad you’re here.

I’m still on vacation in Daytona Beach, and today I’m talking about why we decided to skip the Garth Brooks concert after it turned into one big decision hassle, and why I’m glad we did get out for an awesome sunset cruise aboard the FunCat sailboat Arabella with Penny, Captain Troy, and especially Nick, the incredible first mate. We saw dolphins, caught a gorgeous sunset, and had one of those beautiful vacation nights you remember. I also spent some time on the beach and by the pool with Karen, continued reading Seth Godin’s The Practice, and started looking forward to another boat trip to hopefully see some manatees and dolphins. Along the way, I celebrate Ben E. King and “Stand by Me,” talk about my love of Star Trek after marking the anniversary of The Next Generation, explain why strawberries are better when you add enough sweetness, pie crust and whipped cream, and somehow get from National Drink Beer Day to growing up around beer and World Rabies Day to Michael Scott’s rabies 5K on The Office. Then it’s Monday’s Interesting Headlines, with a family sharing one remarkable birthday across generations, a 100-pound tortoise stuck in a culvert, 191 turtles and tortoises showing up at a FedEx office, a dad running a record-breaking mile while pushing his daughter in a pram, and the discovery of a possible 45-million-year-old “thunder beast.” Which one should I dig into for Thursday? Text me at 513-399-6468 or email me at joe@thesimplejoe.com and cast your vote.

• Family Officially Breaks Record for Most Generations Born on Same Day, and That's Not the Only Extraordinary Coincidence
• 100-Pound Tortoise Rescued From Culvert in Eagleville
• 191 Turtles and Tortoises Found in Unusual Shipment at North Texas FedEx Office
• Dad Unexpectedly Runs Record-Breaking Mile While Pushing His Daughter in a Pram
• Remains a Possible 45-Million-Year-Old “Thunder Beast” Discovered at California Construction Site

Email me at joe@thesimplejoe.com or send me a text at 513.399.6468. Just say hi, I would love to hear from you.

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Welcome to Simple Joe. I’m glad you’re here.

In this episode, I’m talking about something I’m pretty good at doing: worrying about tomorrow before tomorrow even gets here. Even while I’m on vacation in Daytona Beach, I can find myself thinking about what’s happening back home, what’s going on at work, what we’re doing tomorrow, and all the things that could possibly go wrong. I tend to catastrophize, and if somebody tells me, “Hey, can we talk tomorrow?” my brain can write an entire three-act tragedy before I have any idea what the conversation is about. So for Faith Connections, I’m looking at what Jesus really meant in Matthew 6 when He said not to worry about tomorrow. I don’t think He was telling us not to plan, prepare, save money, think ahead, or be responsible. There’s a difference between planning for the future and mentally living through every terrible version of it before it happens. We’ll look at Jesus’ words about worry, the birds and the wildflowers, Proverbs 16:9, and making plans while remembering that the Lord determines our steps, and James’ reminder that none of us really knows what tomorrow will bring. I also talk about why communication matters, why people tend to go negative when there’s no narrative, and the point where useful planning becomes worry that accomplishes absolutely nothing. Maybe the question isn’t, “What could possibly go wrong tomorrow?” Maybe it’s simply, “What can I actually do today?” Make the plan. Do what you can today. Trust God with the parts you can’t control. And stop trying to live tomorrow before tomorrow gets here.

Email me at joe@thesimplejoe.com or send me a text at 513.399.6468. Just say hi, I would love to hear from you.

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Welcome to Simple Joe. I’m glad you’re here.

In this Saturday episode of Simple Joe, I start with the surprising story behind Ric Flair’s adoption before checking in on Vienna, Austria, and Daytona Beach, Florida, then move through birthdays, historic events, and a few of today’s celebrations. But the heart of the episode is a Personal Development question: Do you put your shopping cart back? That simple question leads into the so-called Shopping Cart Theory and a bigger conversation about character, responsibility, kindness, and whether we move through the world as a net positive. A recent walk on the beach, where I watched someone stop to pick up trash that wasn’t hers, made me think about the tiny things we can do that nobody notices or rewards us for: returning the cart, picking up garbage, helping someone, letting somebody merge, defending someone who isn’t in the room, offering encouragement, or simply making life a little easier for the people around us. Maybe becoming a better human being isn’t mostly about dramatic gestures. Maybe it’s about a thousand small decisions to leave people, places, and situations just a little better than we found them.

Email me at joe@thesimplejoe.com or send me a text at 513.399.6468. Just say hi, I would love to hear from you.

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Welcome to Simple Joe. I’m glad you’re here.

In this Friday episode of Simple Joe, I’m talking about 10 Real Laws That Sound Completely Made Up, including triangular margarine in Iowa, nighttime seaweed restrictions in New Hampshire, greased-pig contests in Minnesota, Kentucky’s anti-dueling law, Little Rock’s after-hours sandwich-honking rule, Indianapolis horse speed limits, Carmel-by-the-Sea high-heel permits, and California’s very specific rule about what happens when a frog dies during a frog-jumping contest. I also share a little vacation update from Daytona Beach, including our great night with Connecticut Curt and Margita at California Grill, Disney fireworks, Tinkerbell, and plans for a sunset catamaran cruise. Along the way, we celebrate birthdays, look back at a few moments in history, recognize National Daughter’s Day, National Quesadilla Day, National Lobster Day, National One-Hit Wonder Day, and World Pharmacists Day, and I share my own favorite one-hit wonder. Then I wrap things up with a preview of tomorrow’s Personal Development Saturday: Do you put your shopping cart back, and other little things help make you a good human being?

Email me at joe@thesimplejoe.com or send me a text at 513.399.6468. Just say hi, I would love to hear from you.

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Welcome to Simple Joe. I’m glad you’re here.

In this Thursday episode of Simple Joe, I start with a look at the cultural impact of Julia Child before checking in on the weather in Overland Park, Kansas, and Daytona Beach, Florida. I celebrate birthdays including Jim Henson, “Mean” Joe Greene, Phil Hartman, and Kevin Sorbo, look back at a few historic September 24 moments, and somehow work my way through World Gorilla Day, National Punctuation Day, National Horchata Day, and the wonderfully named National Mofongo Day. Then it’s time for The Story Behind the Headline: a humpback whale named Rio that traveled roughly 60 miles inland into the Sacramento River system. I dig into how a whale gets that far inland, whether a humpback can survive in fresh water, how researchers were able to identify Rio by its tail, and why officials wanted people to give the whale plenty of space. The story also sends me down a few side roads involving Star Trek, Delta Dawn, Humphrey the humpback whale, my daughter once spotting what she thought was an otter in our backyard, and what I’d do if a humpback suddenly surfaced next to my fishing boat. And as always, I wrap things up thinking about making memories, staying connected, and making today worth remembering.

Email me at joe@thesimplejoe.com or send me a text at 513.399.6468. Just say hi, I would love to hear from you.

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Welcome to Simple Joe. I’m glad you’re here.

In this Wildcard Wednesday episode of Simple Joe, Karin joins me from Daytona Beach for a vacation update covering everything from the first few chaotic hours of the trip to the simple routines that are making this vacation so good. We talk about my airport wallet panic, the rental car that immediately started throwing warning lights, finally settling into the condo and letting the sound of the Atlantic wash the stress away, and my daily obsession with getting down to the beach early enough to watch the entire sunrise develop. We’ve already spotted dolphins, eaten at Crabby Joe’s, explored the coast around Flagler and Beverly Beach, dealt with a malfunctioning elevator, and discovered that sunscreen in your eyes can put a serious dent in an otherwise relaxing afternoon. More than anything, Karin and I talk about the way we like to vacation: schedule a few marquee things, but leave plenty of empty space to relax, wander around, read, listen to music, sit by the pool, and see what happens. Still ahead are dinner in Orlando with Connecticut Curt and friends at California Grill, a possible Fun Cat sunset cruise, our continuing hunt for affordable Garth Brooks tickets, a possible SpaceX launch, and maybe even an Atlantic sunrise followed by a Gulf Coast sunset. It’s only the beginning of the trip, and so far the ordinary moments have been every bit as memorable as the things we actually planned.

Email me at joe@thesimplejoe.com or send me a text at 513.399.6468. Just say hi, I would love to hear from you.

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Welcome to Simple Joe. I’m glad you’re here.

In today’s episode of Simple Joe, I’m coming to you from Daytona Beach while checking in on the weather for our friends in Saint Paul, Minnesota. We start with the strange realization that hamsters actually live in the wild, then roll through birthdays including John Houseman, Tommy Lasorda, Toni Basil, Debby Boone, Andrea Bocelli, Joan Jett, Bonnie Hunt, Ronaldo, and Tom Felton. We also look back at the first issue of National Geographic, the first Farm Aid concert, the premieres of Friends and Lost, and celebrate the first day of fall, Ice Cream Cone Day, Hobbit Day, Elephant Appreciation Day, White Chocolate Day, and World Narcolepsy Day. Then it’s Tuesday Random Questions, which takes me from careers I once considered and times I’ve felt out of place to childhood foods, the perfect dinner, and why I think life is better when you’re willing to take a few measured risks. And tomorrow for Wildcard Wednesday, Karen joins me to talk about how our vacation is going and the memories we’re making along the way.

Tuesday’s Random Questions

• What is a career you once seriously considered?
• When have you felt completely out of place?
• What is a food you hated as a kid but love now?
• If calories, health, and price did not matter, what would your perfect dinner be?
• What is one risk you are glad you took?

Email me at joe@thesimplejoe.com or send me a text at 513.399.6468. Just say hi, I would love to hear from you.

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Welcome to Simple Joe. I’m glad you’re here.

On this Monday episode of Simple Joe, I start with the wild story of former Yankees outfielder Rubén Rivera taking a bat and glove from Derek Jeter’s locker, then we head to Tokyo, Japan, and Daytona Beach, Florida, for the weather. Florida rain sends me down a vacation-memory rabbit hole involving an upside-down attraction, a spinning tunnel, and a finger that may or may not have been broken. Birthdays bring Stephen King, Bill Murray, Faith Hill, Alfonso Ribeiro, and a few memories of my own, while today in history gives me the perfect excuse to explain why George Clooney still owes me a quarter. World Alzheimer’s Day gets more personal as I talk about my dad, my family’s experience with dementia, and why protecting our memories matters so much to me. I also celebrate gratitude, pecan cookies, miniature golf, and then dig into five Monday Interesting Headlines involving an incredible estate-sale find, a seriously overdue library magazine, everyday heroes lifting a car, a humpback whale in the Sacramento River, and a record-breaking Slim Jim. I wrap things up from my second day of vacation with a reminder I’ll probably never stop repeating: memories are better than stuff.

Monday Interesting Headlines “Painting purchased for $30 at estate sale expected to fetch up to $250k” “Magazine from 1894 is finally returned to New Hampshire public library” “These bystanders lifted a car to save a woman who was trapped underneath” “Humpback whale spotted in Sacramento River near Rio Vista” “Nearly 430-foot Slim Jim breaks world record in Omaha”

Email me at joe@thesimplejoe.com or send me a text at 513.399.6468. Just say hi, I would love to hear from you.

You can get Simple Joe T-Shirts and other cool stuff at thesimplejoe.com/store

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If you share the show on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, please use #simplejoeismyfriend; you might get a free t-shirt!