Don’t Mess With
An anxious Austrian college boy wears a Texas t-shirt, tucked in, and one can see his belt up high on his ribs as he sits in a low café chair. … Continue reading
Don’t Quit Your Day Job
Writing was the sole activity of his life, but not his sole happiness. He knew he had to work like everybody else. He could enjoy doing other work. Yes, if … Continue reading
Agency
I dare to unearth the Turkey travel guide in their presence. Yes, it is in English and the four old Turkish men are all trying to communicate with me in … Continue reading
The Life of the Spirit…Gosh!
“I wish I could make you see how much fuller the life I offer you is than anything you have a conception of. I wish I could make you see … Continue reading
The Admirer
It is a weird thought that anyone is permitted to love anyone and in any way he pleases. Nothing in nature forbids it. A cat may look at a king, … Continue reading
The Forms
The foreverness of real love is one of the reasons why even unrequited love is a source of joy. The human soul craves for the eternal of which, apart from … Continue reading
Fear in Footwear
There’s something to the Target shoe department. I’ve heard children say, “I wish people would stop having babies so we could stop going to baby showers.” I’ve seen children shuffling … Continue reading
Smile Like You’re Home
Outside the meeting to cover the Dos and Don’ts of volunteering at the asylum seekers center, I feel an urge to dash away. I am always terrified at the thought … Continue reading
The Fence, The Dog, The Gasp.
There’s a creature sniffing in the bushes, this is clear to the small girl with a set of freshly coiled braids. She tugs at her pink backback on her walk … Continue reading
My First Trip to Europe Anxiety. Part II.
Bus and tram trip from the airport through Prague. An old Army barracks being renovated into a mall, a KFC. Lots of graffiti, signs–I see them and the words mean … Continue reading
My First Trip To Europe Anxiety. Part I.
Glory. I’ve uncovered a notebook from my first trip to Europe six years ago. I was absolutely terrified! Reading this reminds me how new I have become in the last … Continue reading
Ancestors
Because I, only I, see her smile a fraction before it reaches her face…Because her … Continue reading
Nana, did you have any idea?
Not a day of strangers, I spent the afternoon with my niece Addyson (yes, that Addyson). My mother’s birthday gift was a surprise on her return from Oregon. We cleaned … Continue reading
Thank You For Searching, You Nice Strangers
One of my favorite things is to see the search terms that bring people to the blog. I wanted to share my ten favorites. Many made me laugh, but still, … Continue reading
Concerto for Cello and Springs
An infant boy in red-footed-pajamas races down the moving sidewalk. His curly locks bounce as he bounds. Bystanders cringe as he nears the end, his father breaking into a sprint … Continue reading
A Hailstorm, An Opportunity.
Visiting Oregon last week, we stopped through to visit the farm where my Grandparents lived and worked most of their lives. My grandparents have both passed on, but they are … Continue reading
Iceland. Or The Moon.
How foolish we were to be afraid of loneliness. -Graham Greene. The Heart of the Matter.
Lead Thyself
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 … Continue reading
The Life Cycle
The recreation center is busy, but like in a scene from a film, the crowd parts for a miniscule elderly lady sauntering slowly toward an exercise bike. She chooses one … Continue reading
Okay, Here We Go
“That’s a good dog,” she says as her huge creature chases a panicked wild bunny, then runs into the neighbor’s yard to relieve itself. “Go get that rabbit. I know … Continue reading
The Nice Thing About Strangers 