Do you have an “If” of your own? Or answers to any of these? What if: a librarian had ADHD-would books be kept alphabetically or skip around the alphabet? happiness had staying power a dog wore slippery shoes – what…
Tag: parenting
#3 Clutch or Brake? Life With Dad
I was 12 when it was time to learn how to ride a motorcycle. My father collected used cars, boats, motorcycles, people, accidents. Buying anything new was a foreign concept to my parents. They both loved to refinish antiques. Obsessive almost. I’ve always wondered what, exactly, they were trying to…
Story #2 – Mom
My mother made things: clothes, vegetables, furniture, houses, enemies. As a product of the depression, she was frugal to a fault. As absolutely annoying as this was, sometimes it was comedy gold. I grew up in the 1960s, a decade which, in and of itself, is fairly amusing. I was…
Story # 1: Men, Dogs, and Giving Up
I was five when my father threw me out of our boat into Lake Mendocino. It was time to learn how to water ski. Bobbing behind the boat with my lifejacket hovering over my head, my left arm got tangled in the tow-rope. I yelled “Hit it” hoping the rope…
Kid in The Corner
Do you know someone who feels alone? Do you have someone in your life; your child, your student, a friend, a partner, or someone you pass by occasionally, that you can tell is suffering? Last weekend I had the honor of performing at a benefit for Kid in The Corner and…
Mothers, Gratitude, Regret, and Wishful Thinking
Tomorrow on our cul-de-sac we’ll be celebrating Thanksgiving. A 24-pound turkey, Al, will not be thawed by tomorrow. Dinner may be late for our small gathering this year of 15. I am thankful to have a warm, welcoming home for 15 people to sit down together and laugh more than…
How to Sit
Okay, I’ll sit in this chair and hold you while you nuzzle my neck and suck your thumb. Even though it’s 5:30 in the afternoon and I really should do the breakfast dishes before I start making dinner. Even though I just made you the greatest fort beneath the kitchen…