Go On.

When someone breaks something of ours – a thief cracking our window, a boss changing our schedule, a loved one not showing up — we blame them for disrupting our way of being. We villify them.

And perhaps we are right. Maybe they are the evil in our hero’s quest.

B… Read more...

Never Too Much Love

Foggy window heart

One thing you can never overdo is love.

“Stop loving me so much!” — said no one ever.

Iterating and reiterating love is always welcome.

Even better than that? Finding a new way to love someone, or a new thing to love about them. Or (oh yes!) a new thing to love abo… Read more...

Saying Goodbye to Clé

Closeup photo of assorted color marble ball lot

I’ve had a knot in my stomach since I heard the news.

And then this morning, in that spiritual space between dreaming and waking, I was gifted with this:

Pulling into the driveway on Hope Hill Road. 🙂

What a wonderful place! There were always rows of cars in the driveway, even… Read more...

Cuss Words

Young boy shows cross with fingers - don't touch me

I never was one to care much about cuss words.

I use them in front of my kids.

My main concern is that they impede upon their vocabulary development.

Especially the eff-bomb. That word is a bit too versatile. You can use it 4 times in a single sentence.

But these so-called cuss words… Read more...

The Plight of Pain

Textured backdrop of soft crumpled textile in darkness

I am pain.

I cannot survive in the light

so I scurry into the corners, into the depths of souls,

swimming in guts

where it’s blacker than the darkest night.

And there, I molt and grow, whether I want to or not.

See, that’s the thing about me:

I’m not trying to hurt any… Read more...

How We Deal With Road Rage

Screaming blurry face

I sometimes read Quora to find out where job seekers’ heads are at and to read stories of human kindness, particularly among strangers.

One such story involved a woman’s victory over road rage.

Something happened out there on the road, and a man pulled in next to her in… Read more...

The Fire in 7th Grade

7th grade interview about a fire

My friend found old news footage of a fire in our 7th-grade classroom. The teacher, one of my favorites, was trying to take chlorophyll out of a leaf. Alcohol got on the hot plate and, BOOM, big explosion.

In the newscast, after some panning shots of the charred classroom, the re… Read more...

Burnout’s Nemesis

brown and white cigarette stick

Burnout is real.

And he can sneak up on you quick, disheveled and in a bandit’s mask.

At first, you won’t notice him; you’ve been too busy, that’s how he slips in.

And once he sat down at your workspace, he wouldn’t leave, not of his own accord anyway. … Read more...

Part of the Solution

2 person holding hands

Another shooting, this time at a university.

The killer is still at large. My daughter, 16, usually the pragmatic one, surprised me with her response to the news coverage.

“How sad your life must be to kill a buncha people.”

This made me think about something I learned i… Read more...