Money & Meaning

(1 min read)

Sitting in a hot tub with two kids, I asked them what they want to be. (I’m allowed to do that because it’s my job.)

One wanted to be a rockstar and restaurant owner at the same time. The other, the older of the two, wanted to make money by doing as little… Read more...

Judging the Kids

(90 sec read)

My daughter and her 2 friends each made a glass of lemonade, all different: one pink, one with ice and mint, one with a giant lemon wheel and some lost seeds at the bottom. (I couldn’t tell if the seeds were there on purpose.)

They came into the room, proud smi… Read more...

The Tragic Thing of Age

(90 sec read)

It’s sad, indeed.

As you sit on your sunny mountaintop, back and knees sore, you look down at the traffic in the valley. From up here, you can see everything, even the things the drivers can’t see, like those dark clouds on the horizon and the winds picki… Read more...

Presents From the Past

Funny, how we get a second try at things in life.

I used to play soccer. It was a huge part of my life growing up. Great friendships, lots of championships, all before I was in high school.

Then puberty hit, for everyone else, not for me, and the game changed. It became less about … Read more...

Algebra as an Adult

One of my evening’s pleasures is doing Algebra with my daughter. A lot of people don’t know this but I was a Math major before I chose English & Writing. I got up into the rafters of Calculus II before dropping down into the rumpus room of Shakespeare and Hemingwa… Read more...

Mom

(1 min read)

My mom lives in her own world. She makes up a reality that makes sense to her. She collects pictures and objects that fill her home with voices to keep from realizing she’s alone, and that she’s been alone for most of her life.

I can’t think about thi… Read more...

The Listening Face

My daughter has this look she does when she’s listening. Her eyes stare off in another direction, her mouth opens slightly, and not a muscle in her face moves. You can almost see the gears turning, as if a drawer from a massive towering file cabinet in her head is creaking o… Read more...

Calling My Mom

I don’t call my mom as often as I should. It always seems to be the thing that slips off the plate.

I hope I get points on the cosmic scoreboard for thinking about calling her, because that happens nearly every day. I often say it out loud to my wife: “I gotta call my m… Read more...

Playing With Dolls

My daughter loves to play with dolls, these little miniature things, where she holds the legs and walks for them and flips around in the air while creating whispering little dialogues.

It’s the cutest thing ever.

Last night she invited me to play with her: “This one has… Read more...

An Important Letter

Dear _______________,

I want you to know that I’m happy about the person I’ve become.

I’m not perfect, I’m not always smiling, but I have a fire inside that never seems to go out, a fire you put there, or rather, spent years tending to, adding layers upon la… Read more...