Category Archives: Uncategorized

I think if I’ve learned anything about friendship, it’s to hang in, stay connected, fight for them, and let them fight for you. Don’t walk away, don’t be distracted, don’t be too busy or tired, don’t take them for granted. … Continue reading →

The nature of humanity, its essence, is to feel another’s pain as one’s own, and to act to take that pain away. There is nobility in compassion, a beauty in empathy, a grace in forgiveness. ~ John Connolly ~ I … Continue reading →

I awaken early and steal into the kitchen, careful to minimize any sounds that might jolt the world around me out of its slumber. Mornings should be quiet, peaceful, serene. For the forty-some-odd years I spent with my late wife, … Continue reading →

A a small squadron of brown pelicans glides inches above the water, their reflected images so close to touching their bodies that their movements seem perfectly choreographed. As the birds seek their early morning breakfast, an occasional splash of a … Continue reading →

Nothing is impossible. The planet on which we live could split in half, hemorrhaging molten lava from its open wound and wrecking the stability we’ve come to expect from Earth’s chaotic behavior. The Perseid Meteor Shower might surprise us during … Continue reading →

My IC convinced me to return to watching Schitt’s Creek last night. She has seen the entire series multiple times; I have only seen season 1. But, last night, we watched part of season 2. I feel confident that, one … Continue reading →

It is not only possible, but advisable, to begin each day with at least a modest appreciation for awaking from sleep. Acknowledging that good fortune (and it is good fortune) can trigger an ability to withstand the slings and arrows … Continue reading →

Our choices are limited. We can accept our lot in life as it is, work to change it for the better if there’s room for improvement, or reject it outright and refuse to attempt to do anything to change it, … Continue reading →

I learned last night that the procedure to give my brother a pacemaker on an emergency basis has been delayed due to a low platelet count, which could cause uncontrollable bleeding during the procedure. He is in ICU, where he … Continue reading →

Reminders about life’s fragility poured into my consciousness yesterday. First, I learned that one of my brothers was advised to have a heart pacemaker installed on an emergency basis. Next, I was stunned and saddened to learn that the younger … Continue reading →

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 →