It was not by choice, but I went to Hebrew School when I was a kid. I went to Saturday school too, but most of my friends went to Sunday school and Communion classes. I don’t remember much—other than I never did well, and I never did any of the homework assignments—I just remember not wanting to be there and thinking about my friends that were somewhere else, doing something different, and probably having a better time than me.
As it was, I had to sit through regular Continue reading
There is a key on one of the active key rings to my household and the door it opens is no longer there.
But once, it opened the door to a small house in the middle of a quiet street on a wide block. On early summer mornings, the sprinklers in the neighboring lawns would awaken and chatter across the green grass.
The suburban streets were lined with trees and the all of the homes were neatly kept with unique landscaping.
This is where I lived for several years.
I learned there. I grew and I evolved.
I landed my first real job while living in that house. I bought my first Continue reading
I see you like a leaf in autumn. You are beautiful; however, you are reluctant to change color and give in to the wind.
You hold on tight, gripping to the same branches you’ve clung to for so long. You believe this is the only place you can exist, so you refuse let yourself spin into the morning air.
You refuse to let go; you refuse to Continue reading
There is always someone anxious to say, “You can’t do it.”
There will always be someone to say, “Don’t bother. It will never work,”
or they’ll tell you, “There are a million people out there doing the same thing as you.”
They’ll say, “There’s someone out there doing it longer and better.”
And then they’ll say, “I just don’t want to see you get your hopes up.”
They’ll explain, “I don’t want to see you fail.”
But that’s bullshit….
Sifting through divorce, I went to a weekly therapy session and opened myself up to the idea of change and improvement. I followed suggestions, and along the way Continue reading
White sand tumbles into the undertow
as chemical moves through the blood machine.
Next is the chemical reaction.
Your body changes from an imperfect paradise and the mind detaches from all of its weight.
Your, “all too often,” thoughts submit to the sudden change, and then they wash away into the sea of forgetfulness.
(and that’s good)
There is no conflict here. There is no struggle.
Upon entering, the blast of euphoria smooths the sharp edges and dulls them into Continue reading
Confidence is never loud, but it does speak in different volumes.
It comes in different shapes, colors and size,
and it wears different clothing.
It is never frightened to answer questions.
It never feels challenged and it never needs to debate
or argue.
Confidence does not need to be convinced or sell itself.
It does not sway in victory or loss.
It is consistent.
Confidence is the ability to listen.
Continue reading
My job is not a clean one. Most days, I scrub my hands as hard as I can but the dirt stains my fingerprints. My work is mainly geared towards the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning in a commercial office building. There is also pluming work for the bathrooms and tenant spaces, and then on occasion, I work with electricity.
According to local fire laws, buildings of certain Continue reading
1)
Understand something:
There are three sides to the cafeterias
in our schools.
To the left are the athletes, or the pretty.
They are the socially elite.
They are the exception to the norm, and the gifted.
To the right are the Continue reading
We walked through the empty sands during a cold morning on the first day of the New Year. My daughter and I were alone and the sun was bright. The tide was on its way in and the waves curled into the shore, crashing and echoing into the surf and then tumbling over the broken clam shells before returning them to the ocean.
I held onto her hand, which was half Continue reading
So, I come from a generation of excess.
But then again….so did you
I was raised on the idea of more, and if one was good
then two is better, and if two is better,
then four must be incredible,
right?
Blue pills pass through me
and the machine softens the membrane
to enact the perfect ensemble
of mind, body and soul (So I can rest)
The sound of Continue reading
