We were waiting in line to check out books at the library, and my daughter was passing time by walking backward in a straight line, pretending she was on a balance beam. The only problem was, her imaginary balance beam went directly into a woman who was waiting...
We were on a flight several years ago when my 4-year-old daughter turned to me and asked if I had met her friend Stewie. I told her I had not and wondered if she would share more about him. She told me he was very nice, loved to...
Five tiny caterpillars arrived in a plastic cup as part of a butterfly science kit. Each day, the caterpillars ate and ate and grew bigger and bigger. One day, four were hanging from the top of the cup. By that evening, these four were wrapped in their cocoons. But not...
There is a new instructor working at the barre exercise studio I attend. In the middle of the class, she walked over to gently correct my form and then patted me on the shoulder and said, “Nice job, Allison.” I’m used to people calling me variations...
On a Saturday afternoon, we visited a craft festival that was going on at a local park. One of the first tables we visited was an activity of stringing beads into bracelets. The beads – especially the metallic ones and those with unicorn and rainbow...
Tuesday was one of those days. I woke up and realized I was out of coffee beans, which made me want to call it a day and get back in bed. Then, while making the girls’ breakfast, I dropped a glass bowl – a tiny...
I was mad that the guest room window coverings were delayed. They were supposed to be installed over three weeks ago, right before we had friends scheduled to visit. Long after our friends left, the sales rep called to say they had arrived and asked...
I live in Arizona by choice and feel a certain sense of pride when the car temperature displays 122 degrees on some August days. Some days you get sunburned just walking to your car in the parking lot, so skin cancer checks are something people...
When I was about 10 years old, I remember my siblings and I trying to think of a gift we could give our parents for their upcoming wedding anniversary. We came up with a plan to buy a collage picture frame that we could fill...
Bill Miller, Allen Zweben and I decided to write a second edition to our Treating Addiction text. It all seemed like a very good idea except for one thing — the writing part. I wasn’t sure where to fit it in. My days are full. My...