The City of Strangers
He had this voice so deep it rumbled along the back beams of the bench we were sharing. I arrived very early for an appointment and thought I should sit … Continue reading
Office Decoration and The Pencil
Pnin purchased for three dollars a faded, once Turkish rug. With the help of the janitor he screwed onto the side of the desk a pencil-sharpener–that highly satisfying, highly philosophical … Continue reading
There’s No Crying in the Vienna Airport
I’m crying in the airport. Just returning from a trip, feeling a bit overwhelmed with heartbreak and worry, it is nice to be back in familiar Vienna. I know how … Continue reading
The Opportunity of Everyone
For the time being, by reflecting on what exactly the culture of human cooperation is, a culture that has, at its foundation, the idea that the other person has much … Continue reading
In the Standings
Granted it is a baseball card exhibit. For a New York City museum guard, it must have been different from the ceaseless Picassos. The cards feature baseball players from a … Continue reading
Refreshing
A set of parents wrangle their two sons near the checkout for the Burlington Coat Factory. While Mom makes final selections and pays, the tallest boy keeps moving toward the … Continue reading
Finding Your Field
Life is whatever we conceive it to be. For the farmer who considers his field to be everything, the field is an empire. For a Caesar whose empire is never … Continue reading
On The (This Isn’t A) Road
Trying to get back to the chapel, I find a sign that points vaguely at two different roads. Perhaps it’s Robert Frost’s eyebrow-raise that points me to the red rocky … Continue reading
This Seeing of the World
But he went on to reflect that he had done very wisely to pull up stakes and come abroad; this seeing of the world was a very interesting thing. He … Continue reading
Love Your Neighbor (Coffee Helps)
The man in the seat in front of her is restless during the flight. Watching movies, shifting in his seat, opening a book, closing it, writing something, stopping. She’s just … Continue reading
For Harisa.
Five years ago, I met a beautiful woman from Bosnia on a flight. We spotted each other before we boarded, and since the plane wasn’t totally full, she came over … Continue reading
Thinking About Tomorrow…
People were always getting ready for tomorrow. I didn’t believe in that. Tomorrow wasn’t ready for them. It didn’t even know they were there. –Cormac McCarthy. The Road. (This quotation … Continue reading
Just See Me. This is Enough.
The boy and his little sister rush ahead. They hide at the end of the moving sidewalk, waiting for their father. Mom is already waiting nearby. She isn’t happy that … Continue reading
Yep, I Was Just About To Do That
She’s in elementary school, somewhere near the middle of it, perhaps. Her hair is bright blonde and neatly trimmed. She’s sitting by two older women at Mass, the one on … Continue reading
On Gratitude
It is an intensely long line at passport control. Flights keep arriving and people keep cutting. A tall man and I are both determined to stick to the vaguely orderly … Continue reading
The Blank Page
There are, I hazard, saints of art who have simply waited mutely all their lives rather than profane the purity of a single page with anything less than what is … Continue reading
Where Are We Going?
I’m early to the doctor’s office, so I stay in my car to read a book. An older woman in a white minivan arrives. She parks, then unearths a book … Continue reading
To Be Human
The Good Neighbor looks beyond those external accidents, and discerns those inner qualities that make all men human, and therefore brothers. -Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Strength to Love.
Five Reasons To Travel Alone
After several requests for tips or hints about solo travel, I’m breaking a bit from the usual quick tales for a Five List. Feel free to let me know if … Continue reading
Baseball, Fatherhood, and Peace
The little old man playing the organ has lost most of his hearing, so he plays by heart. He plays beautifully, sweetly. Organs always make me think of baseball games, … Continue reading
The Nice Thing About Strangers 