My daughter is in London on a school trip. She comes home tomorrow. It was Saturday evening before I’d heard the news of the London Bridge attack. We had already received an email from her chaperone about the fun they’d had that day and that they were back in their hotel room. I called her…
My efforts to simplify my life have somehow touched a nerve. As I continue to reduce my “stuff” and practice conscious consumerism, I’m faced with the fact that I may be buying things in response to issues that have nothing to do with always having an extra mascara or stocking up on black socks…
What happened to turning on the bathroom water, pushing the little thingie for soap, and grabbing a few paper towels? We have turned into a bunch of hand wavers trying to trip some sensor simply to wash our hands. Have you looked around an airport bathroom, or better yet, been treated to a spontaneous bidet when…
I learn things about myself and my world every day I lift my head from the pillow. Every day. But when I travel I am moved in ways good and bad that elevate my journey. I’ve returned from Amsterdam and here is what I have learned. I prefer the country to the city. I used…
We leave for Amsterdam in the morning. My seventeen year old thinks she’s going to get stoned with her parents. Isn’t she cute? How do you say, “Not in this lifetime,” in Dutch? We will be gone for a week in our attempt to see as many of Van Gogh’s paintings as possible. I’ve…
I have this theory that age sinks in once we stop seeking challenges. Hopping out of a new bed, climbing a tree, learning to read, taking off the training wheels, making it into the toilet, standing tall at a new school. These are only a few in a sea of challenges children face as they…
I have fallen off the curb. This happens from time to time. Occasionally, I go down with a splash into the gutter or twist my ankle. This time is nothing that dramatic. More like a slip and a slide. A scrapped ankle. I prefer the sidewalk. I’m not the type of person that jumps into the…
I used to always sit in the front of the room. The front was the power position. Where the talented people lived. New school year, new job, I boldly walked to the front. Convinced the world needed me and certain I needed recognition. My notes were works of art, everything dotted and crossed. If someone wanted…
There is a wash behind our house. Part of it is on our property, which makes it “our wash.” That makes no sense to me because there are huge trees, cactus, and boulders. So many boulders and acres of earth. On a dry day, when the sun is shining, the wash behind our home is…