Life Up Close
I keep a five-year journal , a charming little gem that allows me to write five-line entries for five years. Every day, it tells me exactly what I was doing the previous year on the same day. My daily entries from last year at this time included : Last visit to our home in Virginia. That house is packed with memories. Not sure I can handle any more tears or goodbyes. Signed our closing papers and hit the road for Utah. I can't believe it. Staying in Missouri. Just outside … [Read more...]
Several years ago, I interviewed Jeanne Marie Laskas, a columnist for The Washington Post Magazine, who wrote the weekly column Significant Others. I asked her how she came up with a column topic every week for over 14 years. She said her ideas came from thinking about what moved or touched her that week. I often ask myself the same question when trying to come up with a blog topic. What has caused an emotional reaction in me? The answer to that question came instantly this morning -- the … [Read more...]
Happy March! Yesterday I woke up to a winter wonderland, again. Felt like the movie Groundhog Day. Remember Bill Murray waking up day after day and experiencing the exact same thing over and over? "I'll give you a winter prediction: it's gonna be cold , it's gonna be grey, and it's gonna last for the rest of your life." When I watched Groundhog Day, I felt a sensation of rising panic in my restless soul. I hate routine and the idea of living the same day over and over endlessly … [Read more...]
I'm still enjoying the afterglow of Annie's wedding. One of my favorite things about the holidays and the wedding was having my house full of people -- my people -- my friends and family, including our new addition of a son-in-law. A perfect kind of holiday. I love a full house full of people; a house that exudes happy energy. I go to sleep happier on nights when our home is filled with people who make me laugh, think, or just make me feel better because their personalities have … [Read more...]
It’s home improvement time at our house. We hired a painter that our neighbor recommended. When I met him, he said, “I am Steve. I am painter.” I liked him immediately. He wasn’t a wishy-washy painter. He had opinions and ideas. “Where are you from?” I asked him. “Where you think?” He asked. “Somewhere in Eastern Europe,” I guessed. “I from Hungary. You know, Hungary in Europe. My English not so good but I work on it.” While meticulously painting the white trim in our … [Read more...]
