Deep Thoughts

Who remembers Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey? My favorite went something like this: “If you ever drop your keys into a river of molten lava, let ’em go — because man…they’re gone.” I was standing in the TSA line this morning at LAX. Terminal 3, to be exact — the same place where the TSA […]

Emergency Ten.

I just wanted to leave work. Today was my Friday. I’m taking a vacation day tomorrow to be with my mom for an early Thanksgiving celebration at the senior complex where her parents/my grandparents live. And my Friday wasn’t ending soon enough. I left work later than usual — about an hour past my usual time. When […]

Breaking the mold.

I was in Laguna Beach earlier this evening watching a family try to leave Tommy Bahama. I say “try” because their daughter was enamored with the live music. The woman singing and playing guitar was really, really good. The four-year-old thought so, too, because as they made their way to the front door, she stopped […]

The Benefit

My freeway exit dumps me into a part of town known for having a lot of homeless individuals. The woman I saw today is one I’ve seen before, and she’s one heck of a saleswoman/marketer. When you get into an elevator when other people in it, I’d guess that most of us don’t say much […]

The Strawberry Field

When I was little we’d go to Disneyland once, maybe twice a year. Living a few miles from The Happiest Place on Earth is something most will never know — fireworks from the park were visible during summer nights, and the Mark Twain riverboat’s whistle could be heard during the quieter parts of the day, usually around dusk […]

The Voiceless

I don’t actually remember this happening, as tends to be the case when something traumatic or core-shaking happens to me, but the story goes as follows. I was in fifth or sixth grade and had just started attending a Lutheran school. One day, for some reason, the topic during a class discussion turned to animals […]

The Mourning Dove’s Lesson

I was heading home from the grocery store. It was dusk. I took one of my favorite side streets home and was the only car on it, so I drove slowly and took everything in. The street is well known for tidy yards, manicured gardens, house flags and illuminated walkways, and what was left of the day’s light […]

The Bus Stop Hitchhiker

During my commute home, I saw a woman hitchhiking. At a bus stop. It was as though she had no idea she was standing in a designated, covered location where a bus would stop multiple times each day. Others were waiting for the bus, as well, and they were watching her with much curiosity. I could practically […]

The Light of Day

I live just off a street that has seen better days. About 25 years ago, maybe a little more, it was a street that saw the usual suburban activities: lots of kids playing on front lawns, dogs being walked, cats sprawled on front porches enjoying the sunlight, homeowners tending to flowerbeds. These days, many of […]

Anew.

In the middle of Anaheim there’s a beautiful home which sits on such a massive piece of land, you’d swear they owned horses. I think they used to, actually, but no longer. The house is wood siding and brick, the former painted a lovely shade of pale yellow. Its detached garage looks like a miniature […]