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Bafia, Cameroon, November 26, 1980.
I’ve just returned home from work after stopping for a few beers and brochettes. I read over my letters and get ready to wash up when I see the green mamba. Not again.
Yesterday a black mamba joined me in the living room. With the help of two construction workers, we chased it with sticks. Somehow it disappeared through the kitchen. Remembering something about a board belonging under the kitchen door.
Today, I grab my…..
It’s Sunday morning, late September, blue sky, still feels more like summer than fall. I’m returning home from our annual college reunion party at the Jersey shore. One conversation on politics, mostly fun and games. I’m from New Jersey, Exit 13 on the Turnpike.
It’s about a four-and-a-half-hour drive back home, the rural hills of Pennsylvania a world away. Traffic is light, the Garden State Parkway relatively tame, people driving around the speed limit. I find my way through the…..
I’m running along the side of Route 283 in my suit, approaching the toll booth entrance to the PA Turnpike. It’s dark and dreary, a little drizzly. I need to use the pay phone. You see, my left rear tire decided to go its own way, bounding along the highway, landing in the median. And I need to get Ted Gaebler to the airport for his flight to LA. He’s the co-author of the groundbreaking book, “Reinventing Government.” We just…..
Dear Alan,
I realize now that I am the writer I want to be. Short stories, poems, sharing my words with friends and family and people who care to read them.
Making sense of the world, being present, letting go of the past.
What do I need? Companionship along the way. Writers’ groups, writers’ conferences. I probably would like to reestablish a daily practice, recognizing that flexibility needs to be built in somehow.
When did writing become…..
This past winter, I wrote about feeling powerless, civil rights under assault, a lack of civility. Feeling isolated. Out of ideas.
This summer, I was visiting with friends and learned about Braver Angels. Their mission is to engage citizens from both sides of the aisle. Civil discourse. I don’t consider myself an angel, and braver than what? It turns out that Lincoln used the term when asking citizens to fight for the country. Why not?
Then this fall, I found…..
Every other day, exercise is a brisk three-mile walk, a little more than an hour. It’s a wide-open space, plenty to look at, a chance to leave life concerns behind. Traveling through the countryside, greenery, ponds, dogs and cows, blue skies, windmills topping the hills, cars and pickup trucks sharing the road, friendly waves.
The trick is to look up. Easier said than done. Life concerns usually find a way inside my head, my chin drops, the pavement enters my…..
Matilda and I are sitting on the living room floor of our St. Malo Airbnb rental. A big girl now, 18 months old. She signals that she wants to walk, words still a work in process, learning both French and English. I stand, moving behind her, letting her grasp each index finger, taking matters into her own hands, leading the way. And we’re off, determination shining in her blue eyes, now smiling, moving onto the deck, stopping to wave at…..
I’m losing my mind. It’s not an all at once thing, just pieces at a time. Sometimes they snap back into place. The connections are looser than they used to be. Maybe I’m going into the kitchen to get something. I find myself there, wondering why. I was supposed to get something. Nothing comes to mind.
I’m trying to remember a baseball player’s name, playing Immaculate Grid. Trivia about who played for which teams, hit lots of homers, stole lots…..
I’m on a wandering assignment Eyes drawn to two Adirondack chairs Shaded by tree limbs inviting me Come sit with me Buddha beams
There’s more to see before I rest Walking along a cement path Past manicured gardens and brick buildings Placid predictable
My soul turns me around The chairs still empty Buddha unmoved moving me Sitting I take my place
Guilt from indiscretions Wisdom from life lessons
Shame from transgressions Honor from intentions
Losses from duress Wealth from success
Pain from disappointment Hope for contentment
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