What are the rules? I often wonder because I know I don’t know the rules. It seems everyone plays by a different set of rules. I know they are different from mine. Others seem to expect me to know their rules. I never expect others to know mine. Do I have any? Do they...

The last two weeks have been particularly stressful, probably more than I realize.  I’m one that makes a point not to be a burden, not to offend or distress or bother anyone ever … if I can help it. That’s totally from childhood trauma conditioning. I default to...

I count the petals on the flower. Sitting on my favorite boulder by the lake, I watch clumps of cotton ball clouds drifting across the sky. Birds chatter in the distance, though occasionally one swoops close by. I like the sound of the wind swishing the tall grass...

I wanted to be in our writing group this afternoon, as I do every Sunday, even though writing has felt distant to me.  It’s often easier for me to write “off the cuff” as I do during our time together (compared to being more deliberate with my larger writing...

They call me sassy. It's a name that fits. I can be something of a smart ass when I'm in the mood to be. All I need is an excuse to pop off with some witty retort. But then, that's not the whole of me. I get to be chill sometimes. But that's where there's a problem....

I’m Randall. Some might call me a protector, but in fact I’m more of a logistics professional, historian … and when occasion requires, a traffic director. Knowing what I know about this system, it’s my job to ensure things run smoothly – as smoothly as possible. It...