Thinking like a kid

I could see that my wife was tired from a long week. She wanted to spend the day chilling out, but instead had to attend a bridal shower. To help, I offered to do the grocery shopping. I started off fine in the grocery store. I kept to our list: milk, eggs, iced tea, bread,...

Reading between the lines

I find scanning the news and social media can be frustrating, so I’ve been trying to look beyond the headlines. Here’s some things I’ve noticed and learned over the past several weeks: --When someone starts off by saying, “I don’t mean to be rude,” you know the next comment out of their mouth is going...

A pack-rat’s nightmare

There’s the big fluffy coat that turns me into the Michelin Man and I thought would be great in the frigid cold. There’s the bright yellow like the sun Columbia jacket that I use to shovel snow. (Let me be clear, when I say yellow, I mean cover your eyes yellow or you'll go blind....

On a hot streak

During New York Yankee Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak in 1941, the longest in Major League Baseball history, he struck out only five times and had 91 base hits in 223 at-bats for a .408 batting average. Even if you know little about baseball, safe to say, he was on fire. The man was on a hot streak. Likewise,...

A different kind of creativity

The cold air tugged at me, feeling especially cold on my neck and hands. I forgot my gloves so there wasn’t much I could do there, except push my hands deeper into my pocket. I could do something though for my neck. I pulled on my scarf, grateful that my daughter had crocheted it for...

Dinner and a show!

My wife and I went to see the touring version of the Broadway show Come From Away. We had a wonderful time, but when the show was over, the group of people walking in front of us walked four or five to a row, taking up much of the sidewalk, and were heavily involved in their...

Yeehaw, round ’em up and move ’em out

When I was eight or nine, I wanted a horse. I begged my parents for one for several weeks. I knew it wouldn't happen, but I still wanted one. I can't blame my mom and dad for not getting me one. I wanted no parts of the daily feeding or caring of a horse. I...

My party invitation

I stopped by the front desk and the maitre d' showed me to my table. "Right this way, Sir." The party was in full session. Oh, in reality I was just taking a short break from work and had stepped out onto our front porch to sit on a rocker, but when I closed my...

When you need a friend

The meeting was winding to a close. I had been worried about it all morning. I wanted to make sure that my client got what she needed. It was made even more awkward because there seemed to be an abnormally high level of tension and a confrontation of egos over whose needs were more important....