Kindred Kid
She is wearing a magenta rain jacket with floral buttons. She’s probably in fourth grade, maybe fifth or sixth. She’s been watching me out of the corner of the eye … Continue reading
You’re a Stray and That’s Okay
Originally posted on The Nice Thing About Strangers:
The woman proudly marches with a designer purse and sunglasses, but she also totes a plastic bag of cat food. She stops…
Siblings and ‘Staches
The youngest child of a huge family is drinking Ayran, a beverage made of yogurt and water, as far as I can tell. She is at a table packed with … Continue reading
Crossing Guard
I’m waiting to cross the street, watching for a few hustling taxis to pass, when I feel a presence on my right. I instinctively move a bit to my left. I am … Continue reading
This Seeing of the World
Originally posted on The Nice Thing About Strangers:
But he went on to reflect that he had done very wisely to pull up stakes and come abroad; this seeing of…
Big Sister
The morning bus is packed, and I am standing in the baby-carriage corral near the front. There aren’t many parents rolling their babies on board at this hour, so it has … Continue reading
The Humbling Scenes: Part II
So I knew I couldn’t walk to my Turkish class, and would need another plan. I stared at a map and felt some vague hope that if I went to a … Continue reading
The Humbling Scenes: Part I
If you have a good sense of direction, please never forget that this is a gift. Like those who can sleep in airplanes, you have been granted something very beautiful. … Continue reading
Slapstick Grandma
Originally posted on The Nice Thing About Strangers:
She gives her grandchildren a bright, rainbow umbrella. She opens it for those cherubs–a boy and a girl in galoshes–and lets the…
Whatever Will Be Will Be
The tram lurches at stops and the morning riders open their eyes briefly, then return to snoozing while standing. I’ve just arrived so I am jet lagged and full of … Continue reading
Camouflage
It’s a chilly morning. All the kids waiting on school buses are wearing coats, but many are also wearing shorts. By afternoon it will be warm, yet there are shivers right after … Continue reading
Little Miss Dutiful
The middle child adores her baby brother. She kisses him and holds his tiny hand while waiting to board. She’s a proud Kindergartener, offering to carry packages down the jetway … Continue reading
Mostar
I’m going through notebooks from my first trip to Bosnia-Hercegovina so I can use some of it in a novel I’m trying to finish. There’s something very humbling about re-reading my detailed record of … Continue reading
Why I Smile –Even When I’m in the Grocery Store
We stand much more in need of encouragement, of positive and clear direction. We know well enough what is wrong with us, but the monotony of the life sometimes makes … Continue reading
Postcard for Addyson #1
Originally posted on The Nice Thing About Strangers:
Dear Addy, The two postcards I sent from Turkey took about 6 weeks to reach you. So I thought I’d send an…
Dear me: Deer. Me.
I’m in the mountains for a few weeks as an adventure. Though not an Outdoorsy person by nature, I do enjoy sitting on the porch to read. On my neighbor’s … Continue reading
Greenland
In the flight from Prague to New York, the pilot mentions it’s a great view of Greenland out the right of the plane. All the window shades are lifted, sometimes … Continue reading
Looking Ahead
“The artist’s life: Are you a born writer? Were you put on this earth to be a painter, a scientist, an apostle of peace? In the end the question can … Continue reading
Good, But No Samaritan
Originally posted on The Nice Thing About Strangers:
On the 92A bus, a gruff Austrian soldier keeps his pack on as he watches intently for his stop. Two elementary-aged boys…
The Nice Thing About Strangers 