Life Through My Lens
Critique Partners: For Writing and Living
Before I began writing seriously, I saw it as a singular pursuit. I imagined a disheveled person at a desk in a windowless room with a half-drunk cup of cold coffee and maybe a sleeping dog. I don’t know why the writer in my mind was unkempt, perhaps because I...
You can’t shovel snow with the handle.
A wise friend made a point with me last week. My friend sent me a photograph of a snow shovel ( a tool with which I am all too familiar). The caption said, ‘This is a great tool. Unless you’re holding the red end. Then you’re going to be frustrated.’ I love it when...
There is something seriously wrong when a riddle is still a riddle after 50 years.
I walked into a business the other day and, on a white board, there was a riddle: A boy and a doctor were fishing.The boy was the doctor’s son,but the doctor was not the boy’s father.Who is the doctor? A riddle. That’s all it was. A device to occupy one’s mind. A few...
Is breá liom tú níos mó. (I love you more.)
Thirty-eight months ago,I wanted a time machine so I could pop back to her first day of kindergarten and feel her tiny, baby-soft hands hugging my neck. Mwaa! Her kiss on my cheek before she skipped off to meet Mrs. Bean. Thirty-six months ago,I wanted a flat tire so...
Old Dogs and New Tricks: Buttercup’s Boundary Lessons
This morning when I came in from my ride, I was greeted by Buttercup, one of our Boxers. She grabbed her favorite ball and wiggled sideways to where I was leaning against the counter waiting for my coffee. Instinctively, I put my palm up and she sat. For...
Welcoming Our Whole Self
Last week, I downloaded Rosetta Stone and started to learn Greek. It’s something I have wanted to do since I was a little girl. I remember going to mass with my grandparents at the Greek Orthodox church. I would listen to my grandfather speak with his friends in...