By the time I finished all my chores, it was 5:30. There wasn’t much daylight left. I went for a walk. The shortest day of the year. The planet shifts twice a year. Every year. Without fail. Our mountain roads have no streetlights and not much of a shoulder. I strode quickly to stay warm … read more Walking in the dark
Month: December 2016
Living like lava
Luscious pink blobs float the length of the lamp. One elongates, turns into a skull, dies, rises, breaks off into a balloon, drips down, merges with a teardrop, becomes a head on a body, head slides down the body, merges, grows, distends into a tall fish, breaks into balls reaching for each other, thinning, two fingerlets … read more Living like lava
The Snowy Day
When I was very young, just starting to read, I got a book called The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats. I kept it for many years, even after I was reading long novels with no pictures. I think Mom finally got rid of it, not understanding how such a childish book could still be valuable … read more The Snowy Day
Toe socks
Shut your eyes. Consider your toes for a moment. Can you even do it? Or, like me, do you have trouble visualizing your toes? Or shrink from the very thought because you believe feet are ugly? Take off your shoes and socks, right now. Have a good look at those toes. They’re funny and small … read more Toe socks
A new feeling
On Monday afternoon, I had the strangest sensation. I’d slept pretty well, gotten up and read with my coffee, worked on a blog post, then got down to work. I rapidly cranked out a bunch of tasks. Something felt different, but familiar. It was like, like …. I mentally squinted, trying to figure out what … read more A new feeling
Writing volumes
I’ve got to stop spewing. It was just a snippet that I snuck into a blog post, but I keep thinking about it – I’ve written more than 200,000 words in the 500+ days that I’ve been doing this blog. Less than a year and a half to write the equivalent of three books. I didn’t start … read more Writing volumes
Zen and the art of office design
For many many years, I have had a divided self – torn between the practical and the spiritual, the creative and the logical. I’ve tried so many ways to work it – mostly, by giving a chunk of my time to “work” and another chunk to “art. I grew up seeing this division in the … read more Zen and the art of office design
A cat named Daisy
I’m home in the mountains, and I took a walk. It was 32 degrees at 5 o’clock. I came up a hill and saw a black animal dashing across the road far ahead. I thought it was a dog. When I got to the corner, I saw that it was a cat. A fat black … read more A cat named Daisy
City lights at night
Dark comes so early now – it’s hard to make myself get out and exercise. But the evening was warm, the air moist, a lovely mist had rolled in. I went for a walk in the city. Even that early, 6:15 p.m., the city seemed quiet. Still lots of traffic, but the air itself muffled … read more City lights at night
Rolling on
I remember the day Tom got his wheelchair – Aug. 6, the day he was discharged from the rehab hospital. Only a month after his stroke, he could get to and from the chair and a bed, a regular chair, and a shower bench. The chair was a liberation, a sign of great progress, an … read more Rolling on