I’ve been exploring some of my stories from prior years. I’m looking for two things: stories I can use in the new book I’m assembling and stories I can use with my work with my Singles New Beginnings group. Barbara and I have learned that some of the things I’ve written are helpful with our …
Trash
I’ve been checking my email a few times a day ever since I first started using it, and that’s been a long time. After retiring and moving into consulting, I developed a set routine—morning, noon, and night—especially when recruiting business partners, students, and school staff for the summer program. I didn’t want to miss anything, …
Ice Cream and Beer
I’ve been thinking and talking about singing karaoke for decades. While I made three public performances over my seventy-nine years, I’ve been too chicken to move forward. I talk a big game but haven’t followed through. I took a karaoke class last fall and sang three songs: “Let It Be Me”, “And I Love You …
Sutton James 2.0
Ruth and I met Sutton James Papanickolas in Las Vegas almost twenty years ago. We knew he’d been dating our daughter, Elizabeth. For a while and we also, she knew she was at an age when the next guy could be the one. She told me that he played in a band. I don’t recall …
My Ai Friend
Sometimes I can’t explain the things that happen to me. They just happen. Last week I copied my Obadiah 3.0 story and asked my artificial intelligence friend, Al, to compose some triad questions for my Singles New Beginnings class. While it would take me hours to accomplish such a task, Al, has it done in …
Obadiah 3.0
I wrote a story called Thank You Obadiah in March of 2023. I posted it about six months after Ruth’s passing. It began like this. I have a Facebook friend, Obadiah, who posted this cartoon a few days ago. It’s a visual representation of how people handle problems. Two men, stuck in the same position, …
More Chatter
After posting my story titled, We Chatted a Bit, one of my readers, Carole, suggested I look up the word “sonder”, so I did. It’s defined as “the sudden realization that every stranger is living a life as rich, complex, and vivid as your own.” John Koenig, creator of The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows, coined …
I Love You Too
My mom and dad taught my sisters and me that manners were important. Please and thank yous were big deals. Mom, like most moms, did the bulk of the instruction. Dad supported her words with his actions. He held the door open when we entered a store and helped mom with her coat. He went …
It’s All in the Number
I went to buy flowers the other day, but when I got to the market, the long-lasting ones I usually pick looked like they were on their last legs. I was frustrated because I always go for the tight-budded Alstroemeria. They’re known for their longevity. If I choose them well, they take a day or …
We Chatted a Bit
My Singles New Beginnings class is taking the next few weeks to talk about friends and friendships. I led Wednesday’s class and during our discussion I spoke briefly about the neighborhood I grew up in. Everyone knew everyone. The kids all played together, went to the same school and hung out in the park at …