08 Jun True North
When I went in to say good night, Emma was in bed, playing with an old compass she had found in the garage. I sat on the edge of the bed, talking with her about her day as she fiddled with the compass. We were having...
Author: aaforcehimes
01 Jun Letting Things Hurt
For the past several weeks, a family of quail have been living in a bush in our front yard. The family is made up of parents and seven tiny baby birds the size of ping pong balls. Quail are beautiful creatures and look like they...
25 May Impostor Syndrome
Many years ago, I was invited to a college alumni event at a fancy restaurant. One of my former professors had congratulated me on my work in addiction treatment research and sent me an invitation written in gold calligraphy. As I looked around the room at...
18 May The Birthday Party
When I’m in the need for some nourishing self-care, one of my most favorite things to do is book an appointment for a manicure and pedicure. Somehow, life feels more manageable when I look down at my hands and toes and see unchipped polish. My favorite...
11 May Wisdom of the Ages
On a flight to Mexico City a few years ago, our family of four shared Row 14 with a couple from a small Mexican village. They were headed to their daughter’s wedding in the city and shared details about the festivities planned for the wedding...
04 May Carrot the Caterpillar
When Ella was five, she found a teeny-tiny caterpillar in our backyard. It was orange with a green head. She loved it and declared it was her very best friend forever. She named the caterpillar Carrot. She kept Carrot in small jar with a cotton ball...
27 Apr The Garlic Clove
While making spaghetti last week, I noticed that our bulb of garlic was beginning to sprout a tiny, green stem. I decided to drop a single clove into a cup of water, just to see what would happen. The next morning, there was a two-inch green...
20 Apr Brave
A little girl with pigtails was watching the zookeeper carefully. I watched as her wide eyes carefully tracked the snake moving through the zookeeper’s hands. The zookeeper talked about the snake and wondered if anyone would like a chance to hold it. A boy’s hand...
13 Apr Failure to Rescue
Emma is very interested in TV shows that feature baking competitions. Last Saturday, we watched a new show that combines the talents of engineers and bakers. In pairs, the competitors had several hours to make a boat out of cake that could motor 20 feet...
06 Apr Where do you want to go?
While driving down a busy street in Phoenix, I was playing that maddening game we sometimes play with a car next to us where we slow down and speed up, attempting to move into the lane the other car is in. Today’s game was particularly frustrating....