My wife came home the other day exhausted and drained. She works as a special education teacher and the days can sometimes be tough. Her students were especially rambunctious and were in no mood to be pent up all day. They whined and complained and didn't want to listen. She came home with her head... Continue Reading →
Rocky and raw eggs leave an impression!
I leaned in close to hear over the noisy bus. The driver kept shifting gears and it made especially hard to hear. Dana sat in his seat and let out a little smile. He knew that he had everyone's attention. He waited for the longest time and then started up again. “And then he ate... Continue Reading →
Where it all starts . . .
I write a short blurb down on a piece of paper. It's not much. Just a few scrawled words. If I'm being honest, the handwriting is awful. Just horrible. I’ve been known to exaggerate on occasion. I’m not exaggerating now. If I've been away and haven't looked at the scrawled words, I return and find... Continue Reading →
Trying my best
I put down my pen and take a deep breath. I tried my hardest. I take a moment and look around. I can’t help but wonder if my best was good enough. Did I meet expectations? I think about the people who will be judging me. How will they grade me? I try to read... Continue Reading →
Happy Ten Years!
This past June, I was driving late one evening. My mother had a bad fall and was recovering near her home in a rehab hospital. We had visited with her and I was driving home. I was tired. I hadn't had much time in front of the laptop. I had a million thoughts racing through... Continue Reading →
Getting unstuck
I sat stuck the other night. I wasn't sure what to write. I was tired and a bit cranky. And then I thought about classic composer George Frideric Handel. He locked himself in his London home and worked nonstop for 23 days writing his Messiah oratory. When he was done on September 14, 1741, he... Continue Reading →
Cheerio, old chap!
Smiles. Laughter. We need more of both in this world. Here's some things that have lifted my spirits in recent weeks. —The English language is crazy. Can it get any crazier? We have a simple way of greeting others: Hello. But for some reason that's not enough. We needed to make it more complicated. We've... Continue Reading →
Tips on writing: Timeless lessons
One night when I was in college, I was working in the library on a paper that my journalism professor had assigned. He asked us to write a news story on the college trustees' decision to make several program cuts and raise tuition for the fifth year in a row. I was struggling with the... Continue Reading →
Catching up with an old friend
Last week, I met up with an old friend. We haven't seen each other in 45 years. Oh, we've crossed paths at the movie theater several times over the years. But, we haven't had a chance to sit down and connect over a soda or coffee since the early 80s. Sure enough, we picked up... Continue Reading →

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