Ezine Archive

Ahhh, the brown, brown smog of home, Mexico City, mi casa away from mi casa.
I turn my wedding band around so as not to show the diamonds, make sure to
look scruffy enough not to attract attention and scoot through the airport
to the waiting taxis, another student/tourist/visiting non-descript.
If only they could see my red suede shoes [...]

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I love the sounds of melting snow—plink, plink, ting, ting, ting, a staccato drip on sloped metal roofs, the occasional loud crack of a giant icicle, the bubble and gurgle of the mountain brook as it swells and tumbles over polished rocks on its way to the valley below.
I love to gaze at the majestic [...]

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The sun crept over the horizon and lodged itself above the coastline,
bathing the beach in a comfortable, morning glow.
Solitary clouds dotted the backdrop, lazy lollygaggers moseying across the
sky, unhurried, white-haired philosophers gazing down at the busy-ness
below.
I raced a pair of dragonflies down the road, glanced at the workers
finishing the roof of another million-dollar home, noticed [...]

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A while back, one of my brothers made an error at work, which cost a client a bunch of money.
They leveled accusations, pointed fingers, ranted and raved, filed a lawsuit and after a failed attempt to settle the dispute, ended up in court—a typical insurance company battle.
Oh well, stuff happens.
On the one hand, I take [...]

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The crowd cheered as the young man walked across the stage to claim his
award as the company’s top producer.
He accepted the microphone, looked over the audience and faltered, an
obvious, pregnant pause that brought a hush to the room.
I watched him confront his fear, wrestle with the doubt that invariably
creeps in.
It took him a moment to [...]

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Where are you going, little mouse?
I step into the bathroom and spy a tiny friend.
His eyes perched on the side of his head told me that he or she feels afraid, caught in an unfamiliar element.
Briefly startled, I sense a smile growing—a kindred spirit to the energy behind the spooked eyes.
I freeze, unwilling to let [...]

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Captain Linus took the first and only wave in stride.
It crashed over the bow and drenched him to the bone as we cut through the
break.
He held fast to the black handle that we use to carry the kayak and said
nothing.

Beyond the surf, the sea squatted on the sand below, rhythmically rocking
back and forth, still [...]

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As I travel around the country, I invariably get into conversations about speaking.
“I’d like to talk to you about how to become a speaker,” begins the conversation.
Most of these dialogues come from sincere, well-intentioned folk with wonderful dreams.
“What do I have to do to be a great speaker?” they ask.
I have a standard answer.
“About 500 [...]

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Just show up.
Some days I wake up plain dog-tired.
I lack the customary zest and zeal that characterizes most mornings, for no apparent cause or reason.
If I had my druthers, I’d like nothing better than to roll back over and cozy up to my favorite pillow.
Instead, I drag the ol’ carcass into the kitchen to hunt [...]

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The woman took a quick peak at her hair as she rushed out of the bathroom. As usual, she would apply her make-up in the car. “Shoes,” she cried out automatically. “Everybody needs shoes.”
She glanced into the kitchen to see her husband buttering the toast they would eat on the road.
“C’mon guys,” she [...]

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