Author Archives: John Swinburn

How would we respond if we discovered that someone we find extremely attractive, but who obviously is “unavailable,” finds us equally as irresistible? The question becomes more than an academic exercise in a context in which the state of “availability” … Continue reading →

Since visiting the Greenwood Cultural Center and the Woody Guthrie Center in Tulsa last week, I struggle to understand what happened to the enormous power that propelled the social activism of the 1950s and 1960s and 1970s and 1980s. Though … Continue reading →

Two quotations from my little black book of Zen resources. After I wrote the paragraphs below, I read these; I wish I’d read them earlier. Zen in its essence is the art of seeing into the nature of one’s being, … Continue reading →

We encountered heavy rain, on and off, as we approached Hot Springs Village yesterday on our way home from Tulsa, but the rain was not overwhelming. But after we picked up el perro and took him home, we set out … Continue reading →

It’s too early to know whether today will be just another repeat of 24 sequential hours or something more—or less. We jam so much into little packets of time, expecting minutes to burst, full-blown, into years; but expectations can be … Continue reading →

According to my computer, which has been conversing with The Weather Network, the temperature in Tulsa is 79°F and the humidity is 84%. Those readings were made just before 6 a.m. In my opinion, 79°F should never be permitted this … Continue reading →

Yesterday’s lunch with friends in Fort Smith was delightful, but too brief. The margaritas and the meals were outstanding, but would have been just very good without the conversation. Our short time in Fort Smith was a perfect way to … Continue reading →

One year ago today, my late wife tripped and fell as she was rushing to her study, phone in hand, to speak with her cardiologist’s nurse. She had called the cardiologist, at my insistence, to discuss her growing weakness and … Continue reading →

We are standing in the middle of a railroad trestle, ninety stories above a canyon flooded with raging water. The water, jammed with massive boulders, carves those monstrous stones into sharp scraps and slivers of rock that scrape deeper and … Continue reading →

Yesterday, I wrote a bit about being an introvert. Shortly afterward, I saw a cartoon that explained introverts’ responses to an overabundance of social stimuli; disappearance. With just a few panels, the cartoonist illustrated how an introvert can behave like … Continue reading →

This morning, I will attend church, physically, for the second time in umpteen months.  At approximately the last minute, with several seconds to spare, I was asked to introduce the guest speaker for today’s insight service. I reluctantly agreed, because … Continue reading →

Recently, I read the final column written by contract columnist Bernadette Kinlaw for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Though I do not subscribe to the publication, I have had the privilege of reading her columns for quite a while, thanks to a … Continue reading →

Fame and fortune, by and large, are accidents of time and circumstance. Changing otherwise insignificant aspects of when and how would alter the outcome.  That profound couplet would be equally as valid to all aspects of human endeavor, not just … Continue reading →

Lately, several people have mentioned to me that this blog has become more of a personal journal or diary than a blog; and I have agreed. I’ve responded that it used to be more of a repository of my fiction … Continue reading →

Unexpected shocks reverberate through the night, their echoes loud enough and sufficiently strong to keep even the dead-tired alert and on edge. Last night, one such shock came in the form of a phone call from a neighbor, informing me … Continue reading →

Several hours ago, my wonderful neighbors treated my IC and me to a wonderful dinner consisting of a marvelous salad, steamed snow crabs, and rice pilaf. That was accompanied by a delightful sparkling white wine, Amrita Cuvée, from Oregon’s Willamette … Continue reading →

I had a late night last night, hence may failure to write my usual morning blog post. Given the diaristic nature of my posts lately, that’s not a significant loss, except to me and my reliance on my blog to … Continue reading →

We conversed, my “girlfriend” and I, about the extent to which altruism may be an expression of egoism. I questioned whether, when we do good for other people, our primary motivator might be as much the pursuit of self-satisfaction as … Continue reading →

It’s just after 6 in the morning. The day has long been engaged in daylighting; when I got out of bed a little before 5, the sky was already amply endowed with sunlight. Though I like the light of day … Continue reading →

Wildfires, hurricanes, a monstrous pandemic, collapsing buildings, an aging and crumbling infrastructure,  and hundreds or thousands of assorted mini-disasters affecting villages, tribes, families, countries, states, and other miscellaneous political subdivisions. In other news, the world goes on, as if calamities … Continue reading →

Except during rare periods in which I purposely post at least twice a day, I infrequently post twice in a day. So, this is an infrequency. Maybe it’s because I suddenly realized half of 2021 has evaporated into the mist … Continue reading →

Yesterday was a lovely, leisurely day, despite being unnaturally hot. But I do not feel like writing about it, so I will look elsewhere for something to inspire my fingers to express themselves. Damn! I cannot ignore the impact yesterday … Continue reading →

Four hours from now, we’ll get in a van (or, maybe, an SUV) belonging to neighbors and head into Little Rock for shopping at Trader Joe’s and lunch at Ya-Ya’s. There’s nothing in particular that I require to justify a … Continue reading →

Sleep sometimes eludes me. I feel it getting nearer, but it fails to fully express itself. Only scraps of sleep find me, pushing me into a state of semi-consciousness but refusing to fully embrace me. Dreams enter my semi-conscious state … Continue reading →

I have begun, again, looking longingly at RVs. I had essentially given up on the idea of an RV because I felt like I would feel especially lonely in an RV on the road, by myself, But now I have … Continue reading →