A timely parable
After letting the dogs out, I poured a morning cup of coffee and sat in the great room, iPad in my lap. First, I checked the weather then scanned social media—Instagram, Twitter, Facebook—sorted email, and read the headlines. It’s hard not to get discouraged by...
Four snippets from Raindrops keep falling on my head*
Snippet #1: Those raindrops are falling on my head, they keep falling… At night, I draw the covers under my chin, snuggling against the chill and steady patter. Rain in August is a welcome respite. But then the days dawn dark and damp. Snippet #2: So I just...
Five Finger Exercises
I pushed the front latch buttons with my thumbs, lifted the lid of the case with my middle fingers, and gazed starry-eyed at my shiny new flute. “Try it out,” said Joe, Charlottesville’s Music & Arts retail manager. I attached the foot to the body then slid the...
Pulling weeds and telling stories
It’s a clear, warm morning, and I’m out pulling weeds as usual. This week’s note from Vanaprastha: another guest blog of mine that went live today on the Brevity Blog site. Many thanks to Brevity editor Dinty W. Moore for publishing my piece, “Pulling Weeds...
Looks awful, tastes good
I stepped back to see how it looked. Nothing like the picture on the package. No neat corners, just a mess of wrapping, as you can see. The gal at Customer Service told me to pick up the item I’d ordered from the bride’s online gift registry after I paid for my...