The Nice Thing About Strangers

Creative Non-Fiction Short Stories. :) Travel, Oldsters, Love, and Compassion.

Should We Be Taking Advice From Cookies?

Opened this fortune the other day with a bit of a jolt! 🙂 Have a nice weekend! The word happiness was often used, although since they were all in their … Continue reading

July 5, 2013 · 2 Comments

Another Love Story Where Nothing Happens

He is hustling across the U-Bahn station, but as he passes the elevator, he slows his pace. Then he shifts his path to head for the stairs. There is a … Continue reading

July 3, 2013 · 9 Comments

Caught, Captured, Heaven-Forbid Memorialized.

At first, the poet looks like all the other men at the table. He turns toward the PowerPoint slide of the painting that the panel was meant to discuss. The … Continue reading

July 1, 2013 · 9 Comments

Screening

Emir, one of the men working at security, introduces himself. Polite, friendly, grinning and testing his English. Austrian airport security seems a long way from home. He asks about my … Continue reading

June 26, 2013 · 8 Comments

The Secret

She walks sheepishly from the changing room and down the hall, tugging the dress around her hips, tugging at the tag under her arm. She leans her head out and … Continue reading

June 24, 2013 · 10 Comments

Solitude with an Encore

She’s sitting alone, yet she wraps herself in a full embrace under a red pashmina. She looks meek, but wears ballet flats with sparkles. A hardback peers out the top … Continue reading

June 19, 2013 · 5 Comments

On Dogs and Tough Guys

The slim, green-eyed teenaged boy wears the now-typical skinny jeans, flashy shoes, and puffy black coat. He stands with his elbows out a bit, holds his arms away from his … Continue reading

June 17, 2013 · 14 Comments

Giddy Arrivals

The young girls break free from the distracted travelers entering the main terminal. They spot their father straightaway, call “Daddy, daddy!” and rush to him by cutting around various legs … Continue reading

June 12, 2013 · 13 Comments

Mr. Postman Bring Me A Dream

She tugs at her left earring as she leans to her right, nearer and nearer to his mail truck. His gray hair lilts in the breeze. Even at seventy, she … Continue reading

June 7, 2013 · 20 Comments

To The Happy Couple

He is one single year old, toddling freely around the wedding during the toasts. He stops by a rather good audience member and distracts her. She acknowledges him politely, seeks … Continue reading

June 3, 2013 · 8 Comments

Solo

In the tiny cafĂ©, one has to adapt to custom and share a table with a stranger. I receive a welcome from a woman with hip glasses and excellent posture. … Continue reading

May 29, 2013 · 5 Comments

The Chances We Take

Such a lovely moment in the airport to see the couple stop and kiss. In the spontaneous moment, their children take a few more steps, then turn to look up … Continue reading

May 24, 2013 · 5 Comments

Do You Hello?

Friendliness is my nature. This is such a deep instinct that I’m always the one saying hello when I pass people in public. In Vienna, when you say hello to … Continue reading

May 20, 2013 · 29 Comments

Mr. Independent

A little boy in a blue t-shirt acts tough, strong, fearless. He clutches a toy truck low at his side and eyes the passengers on the train. His father sees … Continue reading

May 17, 2013 · 12 Comments

Road Trip. Colorado, Kansas, and Who We Are

…we’re not born with unlimited choices. We can’t be anything we want to be. We come into this world with a specific, personal destiny. We have a job to do, … Continue reading

May 15, 2013 · 9 Comments

The March. Guest post by #theRedondoBeachDude.

On an early Friday morning three tiny travelers make their way to school. Passing shining blades of grass, the trio giggles and smiles with the brightness of the day. Hand … Continue reading

May 13, 2013 · 2 Comments

Step Dois, TrĂŞs. Turn Dois, TrĂŞs

The folk dancers gather, circle out, promenade, move to the music. A man in a brown hat calls out directions, and the audience whispers, “Is that English?” The Portuguese folk … Continue reading

May 8, 2013 · 10 Comments

Possibility

My new niece is two weeks old. This brings my total to two nieces. Naturally, I know that Addy, Savannah, and I will certainly be traveling like mad–once they can … Continue reading

May 6, 2013 · 5 Comments

A Love Story At Just Over Five Feet

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 … Continue reading

May 1, 2013 · 9 Comments

Self-Defense

In Vienna, I terrify a little boy who offers me his seat in the bus. He has a yin yang patch and an American flag patch affixed his backpack. This … Continue reading

April 24, 2013 · 14 Comments

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.