At first, the idea of being vulnerable seems negative. You might even picture helpless and defenseless, like a bug wiggling on its back. Its legs finding only air. Last year my writer’s group discussed vulnerability as the only way to be authentic in writing. Everyone says they want to read authentic writing, and see authentic Read More
Killing me softly*
We had a water filter installed yesterday. During my year in Prague, we had to buy all of our water. So, I know better than to take drinkable water for granted. But, apparently I still did it. It just took several weeks of drinking chorine-flavored water and consuming our emergency water bottles to realize how Read More
There’s a hole in my bucket list, dear Liza
I never made a bucket list. I don’t know if I ever will, but it isn’t because I don’t want to be prepared to die. Last year I celebrated American citizenship with a woman from Iraq by buying her lunch. She turned her palms up to pray for our meal. Her prayer was simple, “God, Read More
Leaving Stuff Behind You
It gets easier to let go after the first motion of turning away. Read More
Open in case of emergency
I’ve read about southern towns from authors like (my favorite) Joshilyn Jackson where ladies in the community keep a covered dish in the freezer to give away when someone moves or has a baby. I haven’t lived in a place like that, but I’ve usually had the wisdom to keep an emergency meal on hand, Read More