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 …
Too Deep?
If you look up the word “too” in the dictionary, you’ll find definitions like these: Also / in addition: It’s used to add another item, action, or person. Example: “Can I come too?” Very / quite: Example: “He wasn’t too happy about the mistake.” Certainly / indeed: Example: “I’m not going.” “You are too!” More …
Take a Shot
When I first started writing this blog, I imagined it might become a place where readers could not only follow my stories but maybe share a few of their own. I pictured a place where people could talk about the moments that shaped them, the lessons they learned and the memories they still carry. I …
What Are the Odds?
I’m not a mathematician and I don’t believe in coincidence. Things happen for a reason. Some are unexplainable. Most are undeniable. When I asked my artificial intelligence friend, Al, to compute the odds of my Vegas boys and me running into the same stranger on two consecutive days in Las Vegas tiki bars, he asked …
Bar Hopping with My Boys
I’ve never been much of a bar guy. I visited a few in college, but I was a single hop man most of the time. One and done and then not very often. The only times I went for a drink in Vegas was with some friends, John and Karen. The Sands had a bar …
900
This is my 900th post. I’ve been recording the stories I heard as a child while listening to the adults in my life. My goal was to post every Wednesday and Sunday with no set end date. There’ve been a couple of hiccups, but I’ve been on target most of the time. I started posting …
Today
I’m in Vegas today with my boys: Brady, David, Michael and Sutton. We’re celebrating Brady’s twenty-first birthday. Coming here to celebrate such birthdays is a family tradition. Ruth and I brought David, Elizabeth and Michael when they turned twenty-one and everyone enjoyed the experience. We eloped to this town in September of 1971. It’s much …