I gripped the handle of the jump rope, unaware of anyone or anything around me. My stage, a wooden picnic table, my audience, the trees, swings, and sky. Song after song, I belted out the melodies from all my favorite yellow vinyl records. In those moments, I never [...]
So, how hot is it? When the Texas heat brought scorching days and humid nights, my dad would fuss and fume about the heat shriveling his tomatoes or thwarting the growth of his crooknecked yellow squash. We heard, more than once, “It is so hot you can fry [...]
The task—bring back the witch’s broom. The small band would do anything to find a heart, some courage, a brain, and one longed to return home. I shrank into the sofa, keeping my eyes shut tight as the wicked witch crackled threats and winged monkeys swooped and shrieked [...]
I sit in my favorite spot every morning: on the love seat, next to the end table with stacks of books, photographs, a cup of pens and pencils, and my tea. One morning, lost in thought, I glanced across the room. Could it be? A rainbow. Bright colors [...]
Pack a bag. Let’s go! “Where are you going this summer? Any travel plans?” I asked my friends. dental hygienist, and a checker at the local supermarket. Hawaii. Visit family in Oregon. Just hanging out. Not all of us can, or want to travel the world. Exotic locales [...]
I started the day with a simple task. Call the bank. All I wanted to do—talk to a real, live, breathing, speaking human. I did not want to read the FAQ or talk to Alfred, the non-entity chatbot who could only respond to questions in the FAQ. My [...]
On May 22, “Inspiring Your Best” weekly post turned five years old. I began sharing words of joy, kindness, happiness, and hope during the dark days of the COVID pandemic. The world had enough bad news, and I wanted to counter the morose cycle with lighter and more [...]
Every spring and late summer, the hummingbirds stop by to visit the milkweed, lantana bushes, and the sugar water we set out for them. For several weeks, they keep us company during our morning coffee and end each day in a flutter of activity among the blooming plants and trees. [...]
Life offers a road less traveled. Every choice opens and closes a door. I’ll never know, and neither will you, of the life you don’t choose. We’ll only know that whatever that sister life was, it was important and beautiful and not ours. It was the ghost ship that [...]
“Live life to the fullest.” Cliché? No, a warning you don’t want to miss. During the COVID shutdown in 2020, we sat in the pool, floating along with the sunset. The water still too cool, but warm enough to sit on a float. Young people have a pristine and [...]
