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...

Utter Joy

Green grass field under white clouds

What else can you call it?

Hazel’s been lucky enough to have after-school care by Temescal Lake, a modest lake with a beach and trees all around. Her child care program meets in a raised meadow that overlooks the lake.

It’s right next to a freeway, but you can’t s… Read more...

Patrick

white textile on brown couch

I wish it were a grander dream.

I wish it had taken up the whole night.

But it was only a moment, a quick flash of a scene.

We were all in the Airstream trailer. He was sitting across from me in a fleece vest on a bench seat.

(That should have been my first clue. He couldnR… Read more...

The Wakeups

Morning Sunrise Over the Mountain

I tend to wake up with a song in my head. Usually a pop song. Not a slow one, a fast one usually. I bop my head to it while I go to the bathroom.

I wonder what it’d be like to sing it out loud. I’m thinking it would perfect, like filling a glass of fruit punch all the … Read more...

Scarcity & Community

Outside bookstore to swap books

Scarcity, such a beloved virtue, creates the need for Community.

When we look to our neighbors for the things we don’t have, we step outside of our walled worlds and open our hands. So much is possible between two people with open hands! It’s through these small gestur… Read more...

Slow Talker

close-up photography of human feet on brown sand during daytime

An ex-girlfriend once said to me that my voice makes her want to lie down.

(I guess that can be taken several ways.)

From what I can tell, she meant my voice relaxes her.

Total compliment.

But there are drawbacks to eliciting relaxation. I notice sometimes when I talk to people, they… Read more...

What Creates Kindness?

Finding my roots

Are we innately driven to be kind? Or do we have to work at it?

Is kindness linked to some greater purpose or is it just another goal.

Why am I so obsessed with it?

Where did it come from?

My parents are certainly kind. My mom was a nurse, not just in profession but in her heart. She… Read more...

Talking About the World

leaves in the water

My daughter calls it “Talking about the world.”

Daddy, can we talk about the world?

This means she wants me to pick something she doesn’t know about and explain it to her. And she doesn’t want kid things. She wants adult things. It started when I needed to e… Read more...

Creative Collaboration

Lately, I’ve been writing about how to replenish yourself in times of stagnancy and distress. Here’s another trick for you:

Creative Collaboration.

Creative Collaboration manufacturers hope. If you’re feeling low, if you can’t find the BrightSide, find a fri… Read more...