Pockets of vulnerability amidst moments of strength — What if I told you that a 79-year-old woman got into the car of a perfect stranger to withdraw money at her bank to help poor children who, she was told, needed money to fund technology purchases? You would say, probably, “No one would believe that story.” And you’d be…

And maybe more — Saul is a 10-year-old boy and not extraordinary in any obvious way. At least, that is how he feels about himself. When he plays basketball during recess, he can only slowly dribble, and then only with his right hand. His friend, Clay, can dribble with both hands and through his…

I am still trying to decide. — When I was growing up, I was often called a tomboy. I am certain this term would not be used today, but I was unoffended (still am), and it described me perfectly. I would trade my barbie dolls for a football any day. I played basketball with my brothers and…

Essentially all stories begin and end here — Every day, I pass this bench when I walk my dog. The words of Mary Oliver have captivated me. If a bench could speak, what would it say? What are some of the stories it could share about the people who sat here? This is what I imagine. A grandmother…

And other questions new writers might ask — Now that I’ve added writing to the list of things I do, I’d like to know more about it. After all, when my parents let me get Calvin (our Labrador Retriever), I researched how to train puppies and keep them safe. When my dad bought me a miter saw and…

And I’m ok with it — I’ve been writing on Medium now for over two years. I’ve grown to appreciate the platform and not feel like an isolated writer in a sea of well-known contributors. I sometimes call these prominent writers the “Medium Gods,” and I’ve written about them before. …

Or do they? — If you look at this photo, what seems “normal” as in the same as you would expect? What might be different today? On the topic of “the same” I can almost hear readers saying, “Oh, the baby is cute!” Or “Oh, great! The baby has a favorite cuddly.” Or even, “So smart of the parents to…

This one I did not anticipate — I thought the challenge in writing my first piece of fiction would be in its creation. By that, I mean would the characters have depth? Would the plot be sufficient? Would I be able to devise a satisfying ending that my book club would enjoy? …

It’s a problem that needs fixing — What’s all this fuss about being “smart?” How do we define smart anyway? There are clear examples like Einstein, or people who study string theory, or those that can read James Joyce and understand his stream-of-conscious ramblings (a tip of my cap to George J. Ziogas, who recently posted a…