Connections
-
Things I Learned from Walking 5 Miles a Day for 1 Year
Lately, I’ve been waking up in the middle of the night with sudden thoughts. Things like jokes, ideas and writing prompts. After the idea strikes, I go back to sleep, but in the morning I remember. So far, I’ve followed up on everything. My first midnight prompt was what my husband should give up for Lent (we’re not Catholic). He was out of town and it seemed so humorous that I texted him in the middle of the night. The next morning, with a little clarity, I realized my joke was not that funny. Next, I had the idea to plan a fun week for my daughter who is several…
-
Threads that Connect Us
We spread the quilt made from old Levi’s near the headstones. And set out the makings of afternoon tea: cucumber sandwiches with the crusts cut off, cubed cheese, goldfish crackers (like she used to serve her little granddaughters), raspberries and pastries from the local bakery. I like to gather two generations of girls for any reason, but especially for a tea party, something my mom began when the granddaughters arrived in bunches. After 5 grandsons, there were 4 granddaughters born within 18 months. More boys. And 3 more girls. The first tea parties involved dresses, Beatrix Potter stories, goldfish, Nilla wafers, lemonade and good manners. Now that my mom is…
-
Pain into Beauty
I am a little girl, old enough to watch my younger brothers and sister, but too young to drive. I stand by the front window, the one in the dining room where I have a clear view of the driveway and the road in front of my house. I’m trying to quell a fear that my parents won’t come home. Not because they don’t want to, but for some reason outside of anyone’s control. Like a car wreck. I leave the window, with a knot in my stomach, only to return every few minutes to look down the road. Worry. It turns out they did come home, every time they…
-
Retracing Steps
Scott and I are walking on a sidewalk uprooted by a tree that’s shaded the spot for decades. The street has houses on both sides, but the sounds of the city are all around. We’re in the town where he grew up. We turn a corner and he slows in front of the house of his elementary school buddies: 3 brothers. He remembers playing whatever sport was in season in the front yard. I can almost see the gangly boy in shorts and an OP t-shirt swinging the bat, making contact, and running to the grass-worn spot that was always first base. His face is serious. Even though it’s only…
-
Anchored in the Ocean
Mist sprays my face then quickly dries in the sun and ocean breeze. Normally I’d feel seasick, but today I’m okay as the fast moving catamaran skims the waves. A couple sits near my husband and me. I smile at them and we start a conversation. Xavier and his wife both grew up in Jamaica and came to the Caymans to work. Today they celebrate 6 years of marriage. When Xavier asks how long we’ve been married, I answer: 32 years. He looks at me more closely and says, I’m 32. He doesn’t expect the 5 kids answer either. They didn’t bring a camera, so we take pictures to commemorate…
-
Wholehearted
I step outside with my husband and our 2-½ year old granddaughter. It’s a chilly spring evening and we want to release some wiggles before bedtime. I’ve watched the spring color begin at the ground and move up. The grass turned first, then the smaller trees sprouted green buds or pink and white blossoms. The 60’ trees are still bare. Next month green will be everywhere. But tonight the earth is still in transition. We walk down the stairs to the patio and draw a hopscotch grid with chalk. We take turns hopping. The game transports me to a schoolyard in Oklahoma, where I’m wearing PF flyers and knee socks.…
-
Stress and Kindness
I am on a flight home from Utah. I wear a mask because I don’t want to sneeze on my neighbor. Apparently I’m allergic to dust. Last weekend, while clearing my dad’s home, I developed sinus issues. During the descent of both flights, I feel like my eardrums are going to burst. It turns out to be the perfect segue into the next few days. The following evening, I sit on the couch beside my husband listening to the president of the United States address the nation with an update on the Coronavirus. The day after, between an ENT appointment, check-ins with my kids and a trip to the grocery…
-
The Ebb and Flow of Stillness
I walk outside to see the first light. The sky is awash in soft, delicate colors. The ocean is too and the sand is off-white. Unsaturated hues combine for a neutral effect. I notice the visual beauty first, but next hear the consistent roll of a gentle tide. I feel the rhythm. The ocean is calm here. Terrible for surfing, but lovely for snorkeling and swimming and searching. I walk ankle-deep in the water looking for treasures washed in by the tide: tiny shells, pieces of coral and sea glass. I want to take a bit of the beach home. But what exactly do I hope to find and keep?…
-
Lights Along the Path
I sit on my front porch step, the brick still warm even though the sun is long gone. Oklahoma nights are neither cool nor quiet. I listen to the soundtrack of summer: cicadas (locusts) perform loud enough to drown out my reverie and then recede into the background. I am 16-years-old. I feel nostalgic and romantic as I watch the moonlight filter through the branches of the oak tree. My future husband is somewhere under this moon, I think. I picture my future: engaged, married, my first baby. My daydreams get me no further than being married with a couple of little kids. In my actual life, once I had…
-
A Teacher’s Influence
When I was little, I wanted to be a teacher. My mom says I came home from kindergarten and made my younger brothers sit through rhyming words and math problems. Until the 3-year-old threw his pencil and announced he was done with school. I attended the same elementary school K-6. The place is full of memories of my brothers and me. I can still see the lockers, gym, lunchroom and a girl in the schoolyard. The school bell rang as the red rubber ball bounced into my square. A gust of hot wind whipped my ponytail. I tossed the ball into the bin and started toward the door of my…
