Tag Archives: kindness

A Love Story At Just Over Five Feet

Posted on May 1, 2013 by

The elderly couple hunches together over their soup. They stay like this, heads tilted toward each other, even as they finish. The waiter reaches under the bridge of their gaze to withdraw their bowls. They only see each other. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Blogging, Europe, Happiness, Inspiration, Travel, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Table Manners

Posted on December 3, 2012 by

Is it raining? At an outdoor café in Novi Sad under an expansive web of umbrella-like-awnings, I wait for a slice of pizza. The tent above is tapped like there is rain, but pedestrians show no signs of it. No … Continue reading →

Posted in Blogging, Europe, Happiness, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Lead Thyself

Posted on October 31, 2012 by

I would rather make mistakes in kindness and compassion than work miracles in unkindness and hardness. Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person. –Mother Teresa of Calcutta.

Posted in Blogging, Europe, Happiness, Inspiration, Literature, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The Wave

Posted on October 17, 2012 by

A mother shuffles away from the school bus stop after her daughter has boarded. She moves like it is exceptionally early in the morning, though the sun is up and busily blinding drivers heading east. Her hair in a haggard … Continue reading →

Posted in Happiness, Inspiration, Observed | Tagged , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Grasping at Grandmas

Posted on September 10, 2012 by

I’d been on a mission: to get old Turkish ladies to like me. I love elderly people, but I wasn’t getting a warm reception when I beamed at the grandmas. I greeted little old ladies leaning out of their windows … Continue reading →

Posted in Europe, Happiness, Observed, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

I Pick Things Up And Put Them Down

Posted on July 23, 2012 by

At baggage claim in Istanbul, the men are standing with hands on their hips. They wait shoulder to shoulder, some standing sideways to get one arm slightly closer to the unmoving baggage carousel. They glance at those on the other … Continue reading →

Posted in Europe, Fitness, Inspiration, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Baby’s First Swim

Posted on July 9, 2012 by

A mother and aunt slowly hand over the very young baby to his father, who waits in the shallow end of the hotel swimming pool. The baby wears a diaper and a cloth head wrap like a chef would wear. … Continue reading →

Posted in Europe, Happiness, Inspiration, Observed, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Novi Sad Part II: Chuck Norris Drowns the Ocean

Posted on July 1, 2012 by

My hosts take me to the hill by the Clock Tower. We pause. They confer and the beautiful girl sighs at them, and asks me if I would mind drinking from the same bottle. They always did, they didn’t know … Continue reading →

Posted in Europe, Happiness, Observed, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Same

Posted on May 23, 2012 by

There is no great difference in reality between one country and another, because it is always people you meet everywhere. They may look different or be dressed differently, they may have a different education or position; but they are all … Continue reading →

Posted in Happiness, Inspiration, Literature | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

I’m Thinking Lovely

Posted on May 21, 2012 by

She parks in the first spot outside Arby’s, and he waits patiently in the passenger side, readying his oxygen tank as she comes slowly around the long Buick. She wrestles with his walker, which seems to want to stay in … Continue reading →

Posted in Happiness, Inspiration, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , | 19 Comments