(This piece was originally published by The Daily Memphian. Please support local journalism and consider subscribing.) Once upon a time, before the prevalence of cable television, WREG Channel 3 used to broadcast old movies in the afternoons and at night, after the 10 p.m. news. And long before there were jokes and memes about binge-watching … Continue reading My mother, Kris Kringle, and the spirit of Christmas
First of all, in case you're curious: Yes; she actually sleeps just like that, standing up, with her head resting on me. She is ridiculous, my sweet, old (so old) brown doggie. We are ridiculous together, in this ridiculous , ridiculous year. On that note: https://vimeo.com/488363490 What creativity sometimes looks like. And yes, I did … Continue reading A few things: December 2020
It’s like a David Sedaris essay, I say, talking to the tiny faces on the screen, listening to a wild tale about lost keys and madcap driving and children standing on the river bluff, cheering for newlyweds. (Because, even in a pandemic, people get married.) And the wedding was magical, the tale goes on, even … Continue reading Thanksgiving.
OK, here's the idea: Write your way out. If you're in a funk, feeling unsettled, whatever, then writing might be just the thing to help you move on. What else might writing do? Well, for one thing, it will give you perspective as time passes. An example? I wrote that first line of this post … Continue reading A few things: November 2020
I don't know about you, but I had some plans for 2020. For one, I planned to get my 2015 on and add video content to these monthly round-ups, finally taking the advice my (much younger) friend Emily offered about expanding the array of content to include some tutorials or other little clips that would, … Continue reading A few things: October 2020
The afternoon light has shifted, as it always does in between the harvest and hunter's moon. I'd forgotten what it looked like, this fall light, until suddenly it was there one day, not long ago. I walked into the kitchen, mug in hand, with the unconsciousness of habit and noticed the warm reflection on my … Continue reading An open road.
As others have written recently, happy six month anniversary of "2 weeks to flatten the curve." Still relevant, six months in: Mental health strategies for coping with the pandemic. If you don't take good care of yourself, then you won't be any good to anyone else. Is it harder and harder, day by day, to … Continue reading A few things: September 2020
OK; so, things are bad. They are actually pretty seriously bad. But there are also reality-based reasons to remain hopeful. So how about we agree to acknowledge that things aren't rosy, but we'll look for the good here, together, because it feeds the kind of hopefulness that, in turn, feeds action. Game? Great. Let's go: … Continue reading A few things: August 2020
