Questing
I spent the summer I turned twelve doing four things: reading, keeping a journal of every book I read and film I saw, practicing my violin, and mowing the lawn while belting show tunes (secretly dreaming I’d be discovered by a talent agent over the drone of the mower). The summer I turned twelve I … Continue reading
Iowa
Imagine for a second the state of Iowa. Probably you see farms. Perhaps a church. Almost definitely wide open land and big skies. Even if you have never seen the endless fields of the American breadbasket, the region’s reputation precedes it, and by a wide margin. My own Iowa memories center on my great-grandmother’s attic … Continue reading
Things I Like — Small Children
I love kids. I like to watch them learn and grow. I like to be frank and silly. I like their enthusiasm and excitement. I like the regular necessity of quiet and cuddles. I like seeing the world through their eyes. I like linguistic creativity. And blind certainty. I like the tiny clothes.
Audacity, Self Awareness (& Basketball)
In 7th grade I played intramural basketball. Being a late bloomer in 90% of human functionality, namely anything which wasn’t purely cognitive and especially anything requiring social skills or awareness, I played basketball like a child. At 13, I didn’t care who was watching, or if my jersey was lumpy. I didn’t care if the … Continue reading
The Not Knowing
Lately I have been pinch-hitting at a local school. It is super fun. I get to work with kids and explain things like rainbows and dipthongs and fractions. I bring in library books for story time and host Jeopardy for the older ones if we finish early. I get asked things like “What color is … Continue reading
Drawing Dinosaurs
In the first weeks of kindergarten I thought I’d died and gone to heaven. Everyday I got to go out on my own to a place full of other kids and play and read and learn stuff. ALL MORNING. All the best things in life were crammed into that room. We had a proper playhouse, … Continue reading
One Small Thing
Life is made up of small things. Mostly these are the little gestures and daily patterns which make up existence, but every once in a while there are those magic, infinitesimal changes that alter the course of everything. Or if not everything, at least Important Things. ~ One week ago I became an Aunt. A … Continue reading
Midsummer Americana
I have the luxury of my mother’s rusty old Schwinn bicycle to relish these summer evenings. And what a luxury it is. The light lingers long and orange on trees so green they could burst. The neighborhoods are filled with a floral perfume, like lilac but not so saccharine. The streets echo softly with children’s … Continue reading
Old [Fictional] Friends
Do you have stories that never get old? No matter how many times you hear them they still feel alive? They can rekindle a sinking heart or augment delicious indulgences, but always prove stalwart companions. Must be some type of magic. And today, as I sold off our books — we’ve shed several hundred so … Continue reading
Travel Tuesday: Chicago
Travel Tuesdays : where I can look back fondly at wonderful places, people and journeys while we prepare for the exciting adventure ahead… Chicago, like most urban centres, can be carved up into smaller pieces: neighbourhoods, districts, regions, each defined by some homogeneity be it geographical, cultural, or historical. In some ways the city can … Continue reading
Que Sera Sara? 