Stories from the Heart​

November

In the north, November can be a stark month. Gone are the brilliant gold, scarlet leaves of autumn. Gone are the hot, lazy days of summer. Many birds fly south to warmer climates. Some animals slow down by finding shelter and preparing for their long winter nap. Tree buds go dormant. The sun rises in the southeast as the days shorten. The winter constellations become more visible in the early

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A Near-Death Experience (NDE)

The fear of dying is quite common, and most people state that the thought of dying is scary, at least to some degree. Some reports indicate women fear death more than men, and others argue younger people fear death over the elderly. It’s not something we talk about at a cocktail party or having coffee with friends. “Oh, hello, nice to see you. Are you afraid of dying?” I doubt

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Pumpkin Pie

October is usually the time of year I start seeing pumpkin flavors advertised at supermarkets, coffee shops, and eateries: pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin crème brulee, pumpkin bread, and tarts, cookies, soups, cheesecakes, and muffins, building up to the holidays and, yes, that infamous pumpkin pie. I don’t mind pumpkin flavors now, but I hated them for a long time, avoiding anything with pumpkin in it. One afternoon, when I was

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Suffering Softens Stones

Suffering is defined as the state of undergoing pain, distress, or hardship. For example, war will cause widespread suffering; my friend suffers a lot during the winter when it’s cold, and his joints get stiff; or, because of her unimaginable guilt, she suffered greatly. I don’t know anyone who hasn’t suffered at some point in their lives, be it physical, mental, or emotional. We all know what that feels like,

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My Last Year

None of us know how long we will live, but would you want to know if you had a magic ball that told you the precise time of your death? Perhaps you might say yes if you are young and your magic ball reports that you have 100 more years to live. 100 years is a long time and why think about that now? Would you want to know if

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Everything is Possible

If you’ve read my memoir, Wandering (2023 Gray Wolf Books), you may recall that I toured England, Scotland, and Wales before embarking on the overland journey to India (Chapter 28). I did not share much about those few months before taking the Magic Bus to Greece because I couldn’t choose which experiences to include and which ones to leave out. So, I opted to keep it simple. Anyway, one of my

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Silver Tip Poems

My favorite subject in high school was English Literature. In my junior and senior years, my English teacher had a soft spot for poetry. We delved into the works of Edgar Allan Poe, Walt Whitman, and Robert Frost and even dipped into Rumi and Pablo Neruda. I ate it up and wrote hundreds of poems, trying to emulate or capture what was in my heart. I did share some of

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Letting Go

Several of my neighbors shouted. “The ice rink is ready! The ice rink is ready!” Many fathers, including my stepfather, had spent weeks clearing and preparing a space for the six apartment complexes to play ice hockey and for their families to ice skate on family night. The last few days had been particularly cold in the Canadian North allowing the ice to become clear as glass. My mother cheerfully

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The Meaning of Success

If I accept the Oxford-Webster definition of success, which is “achieving wealth, respect, or fame”, then I can count the successes or the near successes in my life on one hand. In high school, I won my school’s public speaking contest. I proudly wore the first-place ribbon on my sweater throughout the evening after I announced to my family at the dinner table, “I’m going to regionals.” I could hardly

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Cell Phones

Not long ago, I spent an overnight at a swanky hotel in the city. Does anyone use the term swanky anymore? Anyway, it was a nice place. The rooms overlooked the harbor. A fluffy robe and towel were provided for the spa, the swimming pool, or the hot tub. Since I had some time before my dinner engagement, I decided to change into my swimsuit and go for a soak.

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The Old Man in the Corner

It was a last-minute decision to grab a coffee at one of my favorite coffee shops. I parked and walked briskly inside. Oh, no! There were 10 people in line with probably the same thought I had. While waiting my turn, with the person in front of me ordering six drinks for her pals back at the office no less, I sighed and looked around at the crowded space. Every

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A Mad, Mad World

Throughout history, there have been many dark and difficult times. In 1346, the Bubonic Plague killed about 30 – 50% of Europe’s population. Because the mortality rate was around 50%, people were often buried alive if they were too sick to be moved. Ouch! 1918 was also a difficult time. World War 1 had just ended. The Spanish Flu broke out claiming about 50 – 100 million lives. Some historians

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A Neutral State of Mind

A meditation teacher once asked me, “How are you feeling these days?” I thought for a moment before answering. “To be honest I’m not feeling much of anything. I’m not sad but I’m not jumping for joy either.” I wondered what else to say. “I guess I’m pretty much neutral about things.” He clapped his hands. “Oh, that’s wonderful.” He smiled broadly. “You see. Neutrality is the finest state of

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Writer’s Block

The Webster-Merriam definition of “blocked” is to be obstructed or to make movement slow or impossible. Creativity is typically defined as the ability to generate new ideas or novel associations. Writer’s Block is usually associated with writing. Often an author is unable to produce new work or experiences a creative blackout. It can vary in severity from a few days to several years. The common reason is fear of imperfection

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Slowing Down

I can hardly believe this is the 17th Tuesday of 2024. It’s also National English Muffin Day, Spanish Language Day, World Book Day, National Email Day, Table Tennis Day, German Beer Day, International Creator Day, Cherry Cheesecake Day, Impossible Astronaut Day, and I kid you not –National Nose Picking Day! What? Who knew? It’s also the 36th day of spring with only 59 days left till summer. In the past,

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2023

2022

2021