Dr. John Reizer
As we move through life and grow older, our view of the world often changes. Things that seemed very important to us when we were young may not seem as important later in our lives. At the same time, simple things that we once overlooked can become more meaningful.
I can remember a time in my early twenties when I had just graduated from chiropractic college and received my license to practice in the state of New Jersey. I had a red sports car with a wired-in cell phone at a time when most people didn’t even carry one, and I also had a brand-new professional office suite where I was seeing patients. I was making more money than I had ever imagined was possible and still living home with my parents.
I was 24 years old and believed I was invincible and on top of the world.
When we are younger, many of us focus on building a career, earning money, finding and securing relationships, and setting and reaching goals. We often believe there is plenty of time in front of us, and because of that, we may rush through our days without thinking much about how quickly the years pass through our fingers.
As we age, we come to understand that time is one of the most valuable things we can ever hope to have as we gain experience in the Matrix. We also become more aware that every day matters, instead of always looking toward the future. As we gracefully grow older, we often learn to appreciate the present moment more than anything else.
A quiet evening, an intimate conversation with a friend, or time spent with family members can bring more satisfaction than many of the material things we once chased and thought important.
Growing older also teaches us that life is rarely, if ever, perfect. We experience successes and failures, joy, and disappointment, and these experiences can help us become more patient and understanding. We begin to learn that everyone carries burdens and struggles from time to time.
I believe many older people also discover that happiness is not found in having everything they want. Instead, it often comes from other sources, such as gratitude, acceptance, and meaningful connections with fellow human beings.
Aging is, of course, something that happens to everyone, and while it brings many challenges, it also brings us wisdom. With each passing year, many people gain a clearer understanding of what truly matters the most in their time in this amazing construct.
On a personal level, I have learned to value people over possessions, experiences over achievements, and time over almost everything else. In that way, growing older has helped me see life more clearly than ever before.
The One-Hour Diner
Prologue
The police station was a well-lit building that stood out from most of the others. It had been designed and constructed over the last several years and featured a more modernist architectural style than the surrounding structures in the small Montana community.
They entered through the front entranceway and approached the reception area, announcing to the desk sergeant their intention to report information on a previously unsolved crime.
Renee Hudson sat beside Bryan Dawson on a hard, metallic chair. She hadn’t said much since they parked outside. Neither had he. They had been exhausted from everything that had transpired and were conserving their energy for what was to come.
The clock above the reception desk read 3:25 a.m.
Time had kept its promise; it was still moving right along.
Bryan, a handsome middle-aged man with a slender build and brown hair, exhaled slowly, his dark eyes drifting toward the glass partition separating them from the front desk. A tired-looking officer was rifling through some paperwork behind it, unaware of everything they had endured in the last hour.
Renee, an early-thirties brunette and easy on the eyes, shifted uneasily in her seat beside him.
“Once we start,” she whispered, “we don’t get to stop and change our minds.”
Bryan nodded. “I know that.”
She glanced at him, her expression serious. “I just want to say everything right.”
“There isn’t a right way,” he said gently. “There’s only the truth.”
Renee’s fingers flexed. “That’s what scares me.”
A door buzzed and opened somewhere down the hall. Footsteps approached them, and a plainclothes detective appeared in the hallway. He conferred with the desk sergeant briefly, muttered a few words to him, then glanced over at Bryan and Renee.
“Can I help you two?” he asked, his tone overly friendly.
Renee and Bryan stood up. “We need to report something important,” Bryan said. His voice sounded nervous and cautious. “It’s about a previously unsolved crime.”
The detective’s eyebrows raised slightly. “Okay,” he said. “Let’s step into an interview room.”
They followed the man down a narrow hallway, the walls lined with flyers for missing people.
The interview area was tiny, with a small table and four chairs. A small camera was mounted on a wall in the corner of the room.
The policeman gestured for them to sit, then closed the door. “I’m Detective Calloway,” he said, taking the seat across from them. “Take your time and start wherever you need to.”
Renee nodded.
Bryan glanced over at her, then nodded as well. “I’ll start,” he said.
He told the policeman everything that had happened as plainly as possible.
Detective Calloway didn’t interrupt. He took notes, his expression unreadable.
When Bryan finished, the silence was deafening.
Renee picked up the conversation without looking at Bryan and gave her accounts of everything.
After Renee finished, Detective Calloway set his pen down on the table. “Do you two understand the seriousness of what you’re telling me?”
“Yes,” Renee said.
“Yes,” Bryan added.
Calloway leaned back in his chair, studying them. “Why confess now?”
Bryan thought about the question for a few seconds before responding. “Because the guilt of keeping all this in over the past several years never left our sides,” he said.
Renee nodded. “We tried to bury it, but that didn’t work.”
Calloway exhaled through his nose. “There was a homicide connected to this case,” he said. “Your statements could reopen a lot of doors.”
“We know,” Bryan said.
Renee closed her eyes briefly. “We’re not asking for leniency.”
The detective watched them for a long moment, then stood up and walked over to where the camera was mounted on the wall. He reached up and turned on the device. A red light appeared on the front of the camera.
“Okay,” he said. “Then we’re going to do this the right way.”
Releasing July 4th, 2026
About the Book
Over sixty minutes in an isolated roadside diner in rural Montana, two strangers are forced to confront suppressed and traumatic memories, discovering that time, guilt, and truth are far more dangerous than the authorities awaiting them.
Click here to read the author interview!
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Inventing a cancer cure was their first mistake!
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Sometimes fiction is not an escape from reality, but rather the only way to talk about it.
–John Reizer
Truth Engines
Pre-order Available at Select Retailers
What if fiction reveals the truths modern society refuses to face?
Truth Engines is a bold collection of science fiction shorts that acknowledges the hidden realities currently affecting humanity. Blending imagination with clever storytelling, these writings explore a wide range of important subjects currently impacting all human beings.
Releasing September 1st, 2026
Science fiction has traditionally been a way for writers to discuss difficult ideas safely. It has allowed authors to examine dangerous possibilities before they become reality. Sometimes fiction entertains us, sometimes it warns us, and sometimes it says the necessary things that otherwise couldn’t be said.
These stories are not meant to preach or claim absolute answers. They are meant to encourage thought. They will hopefully inspire readers to ask questions about power, truth, freedom, artificial intelligence, corruption, media influence, medical ethics, surveillance, and the future direction of humanity itself.
Some readers may see these stories as pure fiction. Others may recognize pieces of the modern world hidden inside them. That choice belongs to you, the reader.
The goal of my writing is twofold: to entertain while also encouraging people to think more deeply about the systems shaping human life behind the scenes.
Whether these stories inspire agreement, debate, curiosity, or discomfort, I hope they stay with you long after the final page.
Sometimes fiction is not an escape from reality, but rather the only way to talk about it.
–John Reizer
Beta Reviews
It’s an amazing read! The stories in Truth Engines were born and live in the spaces between the 88 black-and-white notes on a piano keyboard. If you’re a fan of The Twilight Zone, you’ll really love this book!
–A Beta Reader
Truth Engines is an incredible reading experience!
–A Beta Reader
The Big Pharma Conspiracy Movie
Inventing a cancer cure was their first mistake!
Critical Reviews
“Rachel Alig is terrific as Donna while Justin Ray as Clyde also manages to impress. Combining witty commentary with a constant threat to life, script writers Palo and Reizer develop a narrative that is funny and charming while ensuring that none of the thrill and danger is lost in the process.”
– INDIE WRAP MAGAZINE
“Drama, thrills, comedy and so much more: Directors Andrew Arguello and MJ Palo’s Target List has all the fixings of a great movie. Combining a fantastic cast with the witty writing of MJ Palo and John Reizer, whichever way you flip this film, it lands on its feet with feline agility.”
– INDY REVIEWS
“The script by Palo with John Reizer, for the most part, rides that perfect balance between its more dramatic moments and perfectly placed moments of humor that never distract. While they’re probably not going to get invited to any big pharma conventions anytime soon, Reizer and Palo have a point, and they make it beautifully.”
“Target List is a great view for anyone who wants a compelling and suspenseful flick with a message that matters.”
– RICHARD PROPES – THE INDEPENDENT CRITIC
Gareth Icke – Derby, England
GARETH ICKE – DIRECTOR OF THE DAVID ICKE WEBSITE“Target List had me on the edge of my seat throughout. Not the least because of its believability!“
Click on the image below to visit the website!
NoFakeNews 
I can absolutely identify with all that you have written, Roark. I’m a bit of a loner, too, and people are often surprised to hear that about me because of the writing I do here.
I cherish different things today than in my younger years, for sure.
And yes, music remains a big part of my personal and creative life.
All of the best, my friend! 😎
John
Hey John,
I always like when you weigh in, personally, and you often do! That’s one of the things that makes your website so great, that and that you actually write people back! Who else does that? LOL
I know what you mean about thinking differently with age. Valuing things differently, etc. As a male teenager, for me it was all about obtaining a set of wheels for my freedom, and wanting to fit in with the other students, best I could.
Even if my likes or preferences have changed, some things seem to remain somewhat steady, and you may perhaps agree. Take music, for instance. I have valued it ever since I was a kid and kept breaking needles on my turntable, through my original driving years with the under dash 8-track player, into my CD players in college, and now MP3 files and I’ve come full circle to having a turntable again! LOL
When I look back, I was always a bit of a loner. Not in a bad way, just truthfully speaking. I grew up in the mountains, and literally would hang out with the cat, or play with my model trucks in the dirt. I would hide behind a tree when the school bus came to take me to school. I got along with the other kids fairly well and was generous as well. I never quite felt like I fit in when I was in the corporate environment after college.
So I guess what I’m saying is, some things have been steady. But I know what you mean. I still value having my car, but the dream of often having a new car has faded. Knock on wood, my 30-year-old car keeps going, and I dread the idea of having to replace it, ever.
Quiet times at home with the family, are indeed some of the most treasured experiences, at this point. Sometimes just time alone with the dog is precious!
Having lost my father, as you know, and as you have, this puts a new appreciation on something that we can no longer have! But they live on inside of us, don’t they John?
Fondly,
Roark
I one hundred percent agree, Lisa ! Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the post. 👍
Words to touch the hearts of many, John! ♥️
Especially those of us who are older and wiser and know it to be true. 🥰
Because, yes, as we age and we reflect back on our lives our perspective about different things can change. Our memories become more about the people who have entered our lives rather than our material assets. We realize life is about the connections we have made with people, and what we have learned from those experiences.
Also, I think as we age peace and quietness becomes more attractive. I know that I enjoy just being amongst the trees and flowers 🌷 or being at the river to watch it flow. With the feeling of the sunshine beaming in my soul.
Not to mention just watching all the birds, rabbits, chipmunks and squirrels coming to the feeders in our backyard. The squirrels 🐿 in particular are so much fun to watch as they climb and zoom around in the trees. Also, the chirping sounds of the birds 🕊can be quite soothing.
Lisa
“The older you get,
the more you realize happiness is not found in constant excitement, attention or chasing more.
It is found in peaceful mornings, meaningful conversations, a quiet mind, a safe home, good health, and people who do not drain your spirit.
You begin to crave calmess more than chaos,
depth more than popularity,
and peace more than proving yourself to the world.
Because true happiness becomes simple once your soul gets tired of unnecessary noise.” – Buddha’s Teaching
Thanks, Ashley!
John
Beautiful article, John. Thanks so much for the reminder.
Ashley