While my daughter and I were downtown, we stopped off at the local book shop to peruse the childrens book section with my grandson, Thomas. I was pleasantly surprised to see many older titles I thought may have been out of print alongside newly published authors. We made our selection and headed to the cashier. …
Jumping to Conclusions
My brain is a bit cluttered these days. As a result of our ever-diminishing attention spans and ever-advancing age, I spend a good deal of time wondering whether I actually said something aloud or just thought it and intended to say it. No doubt I’m closing in on that age where people expect me to …
What’s All The Commotion?
The level of noise in the world is significant compared with my own childhood. Even living away from the city, I hear more vehicle noises than nature sounds at times. My experiences with apartment living proved that walls are too thin between neighboring bedrooms to sleep through arguments or parties. My only downtown rentals assured …
Group Assignment
In high school and college, I despised group projects. I hated having to rely on others for my grade, but since most students also had extracurricular activities or a job outside of school, it was difficult to coordinate schedules and invariably, I felt the need to complete the project in its entirety on the off …
Wake Up!
My husband and I discussed having driven the same routes for so long that we’re prone to drift into autopilot when we leave the house. When our granddaughter was born and I drove over several times a week to offer her parents some rest, I found myself heading their direction no matter where I intended …
Upside Down
All you can eat buffets must thrive along the coast year round because they’re on every corner. I’ve never been able to enjoy a meal with so many offerings because I fill up on the salad, and quantity over quality tends to prevail. Even after trying a small sampling of several items and desserts, I …
Fill ‘Er Up
I have, sad to say, allowed myself to be stranded on two occasions because I neglected to notice the fuel gauge dipping into the red. Once was bad enough, but making that call to my husband the second time was downright humiliating. He’s been gracious over the years not to remind me, but I have …
Reckoning
I reckon. In my childhood, this common phrase communicated assent with resignation more than conviction. Are you coming inside? I reckon. Do you want leftovers for dinner? I reckon. Shouldn’t you be doing your homework? I reckon. To reckon in this sense means to think or suppose, but literally it means to count up or …
Anxious Thoughts
Reach with your hands. Now move your feet up. I stood, feet planted wide, at the bottom of the slide, ready to play catcher, while my daughter coached her toddler up the ladder on the other side of the platform. At eighteen months, he’s reached that phase where he’s comfortable enough on his feet to …
Evergreen
Evergreens show up best in winter. Though we’ve had some unseasonably warm days, even for the southeast, the poplars, oaks, and black walnuts remain bare of foliage. The pine, cypress, and holly stand out against the skyline, the only green in an otherwise drab palette. Temperatures in the seventies on this Valentines Day mean rocking …
A Fitting Reply 