View From The Sidelines In these days leading up the election, I’m seeing more glimpses of people’s political leanings in their stories and posts, and what I’m seeing is … weird. Weird is the buzzword du jour bandied by liberals to describe conservatives, and now it has been co-opted by conservatives as not weird. As…
A Love Letter to Gloom
The 100th Anniversary of the Burning of Zozobra
Rest My Worries ANXIETY. WORRY. GLOOM. The words glowed bright and clear in the night sky above the baseball field. Below them, the 50-foot puppet groaned, eyes shifting in fear. His fate predetermined for the past 100 years. Death by fire. Zozobra, a.k.a. Old Man Gloom, is my hometown’s worry effigy. He’s the vessel of…
Late Summer Blues
Advance vs. Retreat
Facing Change As It Happens We have a plan, my therapist and I. The idea is to go toward it all, and not away. To face it, embrace it, instead of retreating. You see, it’s this time of year, I shared with him, when I quite literally take a fall. It’s been like this for…
Travelogue: Mexico City
Millions of Dreams
Mexico City, I love you La Ciudad de México Te amo But I know you only want to be friends That is fine with me At least for now You cannot be captured Not then Not now I tried Gazing at the canopy Pregnant clouds Tlaloc Clockwork Downpour @ 1700h Later, an indigo pall La…
Breaking Patterns
Finding A Line
New Pattern Unlocked The play structures were naturally full of children running up and down stairs, climbing ladders, shooting down slides. I, however, stood on the perimeter considering which line I was going to take. Ticky-tack to the bottom of the slide, then leap to grab the vertical bar, followed by a one-arm grab to…
Maybe, Just Maybe
Democracy In Real Time
Spit In The Ocean The campaign had sent me a list of phone numbers, and it was my job to call the people on the list. Real people. Strangers, in fact. It was my first time canvassing for a political candidate. It was 2008, and that’s how enthusiastic I was to support Hillary Clinton in…
Swirling Destruction
Film Critique - Twisters
One Obvious Antagonist It’s a challenge these days not to see everything with a political slant. This is what happens to our country every four years leading up to a presidential election. We start to go into our respective camps and hunker down. We get agitated and worrisome. Why? Because we know a rebalancing or…
Thoughts & Prayers Season…Again
A Turning Point?
Dead Irony Well, folks, it’s time to start up the old “Thoughts and Prayers” machine that our country turns to when faced with yet another episode of gun violence. Cries for unity and solidarity come gushing right after the blood spills. Also, cue the hunt for the perpetrator nutcase with said guns, because it’s not…
60 Is The New Rock Star
Age Means Nothing
Love & Gratitude It was 1990-something and every girl I knew in college wanted one thing: Lenny Kravitz. Back then, he was a slim, dreadlocked sex symbol rock star, and oh, hey, he still is today. So, how did this guy, who, back then was 34, still look like he’s still 34 today, and how…
Live and Let Live
Independence Day Reflections
Country Man / Woman / Person I’ve longed held this image that the United States of America, if personified, is actually two people. One is a young, beautiful woman of Native American ancestry in bell bottoms and a red, white, and blue top, flashing a peace sign. The other is a typical white corporate alpha…
Crimes Against HuMANity
Summer Edition
The Perfect Season To Hide Guys, let’s just agree to not do these things this summer: Schedule a kids pool party on a Friday afternoon after a long week of work travel. Work on a Saturday. Work in general. Road trip through a National Park. Wear Jorts. Or Cargo Shorts. Go to Target. Try to…
Not Just a Road
Run Like Hell
Run Like Hell
Allyship?
"You Do You"
A Free Country…For Now He stuck out like a–well, I won’t say a sore thumb, but I’ll say it was something red and bothersome. At least to me. This past weekend, I had the fortunate opportunity to spend two days at a posh Southern California resort for a work meeting, and the pool was more…
The Comments Section
Cheeto Vs. Pedo
Entertaining The Idea Rarely do I ever post a comment or dwell in the comments section of social media. When I do, my responses are brief and almost always dripping in satiric sarcasm. In response to some armchair reporter saying on Instagram that if re-elected, Donald Trump could set the stage for a third term,…
The Power of Breath
MENtal Health Month Series, Part 4
“Everything Is Going To Be Fine” In Part 1 of this series, I spoke to my once-in-a-great-while craving for a cigarette, and how my therapist helped me understand that smoking is simply another form of breath work. As in, our body wants and needs breath to help our functioning. But, is inhaling a nicotine cigarette…
Brave Space
MENtal Health Month Series, Part 3
Respective Demons The six of us men walk from the lobby down an unremarkable hall with offices on each side. We pass a small kitchenette/break area, then turn right to enter the meeting room. It’s your standard corner boardroom: long rectangular table surrounded by wheeled swivel chairs, a white board at the rear wall, an…