3 Planes and 4 Airports

Remember waiting at the gate to pick up someone or see them off at the airport? Flying somewhere used to be an adventure, a journey I looked forward to, but those days are long gone. So much has changed in the way we travel. Unless you have a ticket to fly somewhere, for example, you aren’t allowed past the security checkpoints. Now we must say our goodbyes to friends and family before they go through the screening stations two hours prior to their departures. Forget watching the plane back away from the gate and waving your final goodbye from the terminal windows as you watch the plane take off and fly out of sight.

Giving and Receiving

Most of us like to think of ourselves as good people who do good things for those who are less fortunate. However, the truth of the matter is that few people actually walk the talk. We mean well, but when it comes right down to it, we just can’t be bothered with the problems of others. If you’ve ever needed help but were made to feel like a burden because of it (intentionally or not), or if you’ve been put off by those well-meaning folks who don’t follow through with their offers to help, you know what I mean. It’s frustrating. It’s also important to understand that being grateful for help can be just as taxing as helping people. Here’s why:

The Color of Angels

Homemade apple pie was my little girl’s favorite dessert and she never missed an opportunity to watch me make one. Her eyes would sparkle in anticipation of the mouth-watering gift from the gods, the divine taste of hot apples swimming in a syrupy bath of cinnamon and wrapped in a buttery crust. The pies couldn’t bake fast enough.

Watching Clouds From A Swing

The clicking of the film feeding through my memory’s projector keeps a steady rhythm with the little girl on the swing. Her hands clench the chains and she leans back to push forward, her eyes fixed on the clouds above. With each forward thrust, there’s a sense of independence, of flight, of carefree abandon. When the momentum shifts, just before that invisible force pulls the swing back, her body stops in an exhilarating nanosecond of weightless anticipation. In surreal slow motion, the cycle repeats.

What Would You Do If You Weren’t Afraid?

I saw a post on Facebook today and it got me thinking about my own situation: “Move through discomfort, and push towards your personal victory.” Move through discomfort. Face it head on. Acknowledge it, but don’t give it power to keep you from pursuing your dreams and achieving your goals. Those are inspiring words, especially if you tend to create your own discomfort.

The Red Pen of Terror

Ego is a funny thing. Every writer secretly believes their work is a masterpiece, although some boast this more openly than others. We all want our books to be published and to become a best-seller, an overnight sensation. Our stories are our legacies, our gifts to the civilized world. We imagine that people everywhere will be quoting lines from the pages of our beloved novels and swooning over the characters, that our plots will entice movie producers to transform our written words into blockbusters on the silver screen. Unfortunately, the reality is that most authors remain hidden in the shadows of obscurity never to have their work read by more than a few people. For most of us, that’s okay. We’re storytellers and we just want to get those stories out of our heads and down on paper. But… it’s still nice to dream.

Mandatory Immunizations and ADHD: Are We Losing Control?

I’ve noticed a LOT of angry and hateful posts lately in social media from people who have been emotionally bashing parents who choose not to vaccinate their children, shaming them and calling them criminals and irresponsible, accusing them of being brainwashed or misinformed. Not every parent who refuses to vaccinate their children is ignorant or irresponsible or uneducated. While I don’t have any young children at home anymore, I’d be one of those parents now if I did. I’d home school my children if I could, not just to prevent other kids from getting sick from mine, but to keep them away from all the hate and fear mongers. This may be upsetting to some people, but here’s why I would make that choice:

Simply Perfect Mint Tea

While I was brewing tea this morning, I was thinking about my collection of teapots that are patiently waiting to be unpacked from storage one day. Naturally, in the spirit of minimalism, I only need one teapot, but somehow I’ve acquired several over the years – a couple I inherited from my mother, some were gifts, and I’ve purchased a few of them myself. Of course, to go along with the teapots, one must have proper teacups and saucers because everyone knows that drinking tea from a coffee mug is barbaric. Worse yet, don’t even think about serving tea from a porcelain coffee pot! Yikes! Remember the song, “I’m a little teapot, short and stout…” next time you reach for that tall “teapot” that’s really part of a coffee service.