California is burning. Photo courtesy: https://www.pexels.com/photo/fireman-on-top-of-a-ladder-3208882/ Not just California but much of the northwest. I was in bed, eyes open, a couple of nights ago, thinking about what I would want to save from this house should it be threatened by fire, in no specific order. Photo albums: my son’s baby photos, the albums with my mom, dad, grandmother, and me as a baby. My computer and some other tech. The print copy of my will. Several small antique trinkets that have personal meaning to me. Pet food (and pets of course). My beloved. There might have been a few…
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The first words that came to my mind as I awoke at about 2 am: hag fish. I think it was the ‘hag’ part that kept me awake. When I think of the word ‘hag’, I think of an older woman, perhaps one who some might say is a bit off-mark, more than a bit quirky, occasionally prone to bouts of weirdness. In other words, me. However, I wasn’t feeling particularly hag fish-ish, or even hag-ish. I was feeling more … angler fish-ish… All dressed up and nowhere to go … (photo courtesy strawberrymilky.blogspot.com) … unusual, adorned, regal … but…
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I have been pondering the notion of Sabbath for some time. Oh, not that I don’t understand it, but it’s like a jello mold … if you try to pick up the jello from the plate with your hands, what happens? It’s all jiggly and sluices through your fingers. Sabbath can be like that. Image courtesy Psychowith6 Dr. Wilson (click the link just under the picture there) nailed it. Here’s my thing with ‘creep’, that insidious drain of life that distracts us from connecting with the Creator and doing what we’re supposed to. I know what I’m supposed to do.…
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It was a morning for music in my head. I think I may have been delirious since I didn’t turn on my fan last night. I didn’t realize it until the room was starting to grow lighter that something was amiss. I had tossed and turned for a bit and after stickily making my way to the bathroom, came back to discover the fan button was firmly off. I flipped it on for a bit and stretched out for a few more minutes before starting the day, proper. [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F766nMg5-IE&w=560&h=315] Dionne Warwick’s version of ‘Walk On By’ is so sunny,…
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Furtive … Such a wonderful word. It’s the one that came to mind as I laid in bed this morning. The day had started without me — it wasn’t yet bright, but there was light outside, which filtered in through the bathroom windows. The running joke when I bought this house was that the person who owned it was a vampire. During the walk-through, we couldn’t see the bedroom very well because he had it super-dark in there; the story we actually got was that he worked nights, slept days, that sort of thing. I do like the vampire story…
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Photo from ppetn.com You likely know that I love technology. However, I wasn’t always in love with it. When the internet first arrived in our homes, buzzing and whistling with those interesting connection noises, I was not interested. I avoided it for quite some time, much like those ‘old timers’ who said telephones were going the way of the dodo. But here we are, right? I’m all about tech. I work online, basically spending 300 hours a day in front of a screen. Once social media came into play, I was hesitant and didn’t dive in quickly either. I am…
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‘I know you do not trust me right now, but I promise I am not your enemy’ (line from the film) I have the honor of engaging almost weekly with the social justice community as a partner with The Breakdown, a show that grew out of the project started by activist Shaun King. He hosts the show on Twitch and last week, part of the discussion was around this idea of cancel culture. Have you heard of it? The idea is that if someone says something I don’t like or disagree with, I can remove myself from the connection with…
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Why are some people able to just say what they feel with as much ease as others turn on and off a faucet? Why are others of us plagued by pre-planning the conversation, attempting to identify every potential outcome and response to the outcome and then outcome to the response to the outcome … ? There are times when all that pre-planning leads to an emotional Hulk-out. If you’ve never watched any movies with the Hulk or the old television show, you’ve missed out. [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gSsrwZDA3Q&w=560&h=315] Needless to say, most of us don’t change like Bruce Banner, but maybe we…
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I couldn’t recall if I’ve ever written about courageous conversations before. Of course, I paused to search and nope, no hits. I guess it’s no surprise since a person must be … courageous in some way … to have a courageous conversation. I’ve been voraciously watching Michaela Coel on ‘I May Destroy You’. Michaela Coel is amazing. Photo from Vanity Fair: https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2020/07/michaela-coel-i-may-destroy-you-interview I had to write in my personal journal about one bit of one episode that had my mind reeling for days. Actually, they all do, but this one … in it, Arabella (played by Ms. Coel) tells her…
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I lay in the dark with my eyes closed as my beloved rubs his hand lightly across my back. We are silent. The room is silent, save the steady rustle of fans on low that shift the edges of the sheets. The house is silent, save the occasional pacing of a dog on patrol. A film begins to play on the inside of my closed but awake and alert eyelids: like a home movie re-discovered, it flickers. It’s my dad. As my beloved’s hands travel down my spine and up my side again, I suddenly recall a day, not unlike…