Where a story starts is almost never the beginning. A memoir starts at the end and remembers backward. A novel starts at the moment of change. A nonfiction book starts with the point it wishes to prove. We, too, are always starting in the middle. Even at the moment of our birth, we have a […]
Perspective
Crack in the Road
I was biking on the rail trail this morning when my front tire hit a crack in the pavement and I nearly lost my balance. I hit another, and another, and by the time I’d gotten the hang of running over the cracks, I’d passed them. I pedaled onward. The cracks changed my behavior. My […]
The Perpetual Goodbye
This week, I’m saying goodbye to my fifth grade band students. I’ve been teaching them for two years. That’s about 60 small-group lessons and 85 band rehearsals– a lot of student-teacher contact time. I’ve gotten to know many of them quite well, and I’m going to miss them very much. It’s something that isn’t discussed […]
The Wind Blows
During my habitual five-minute meditation yesterday, I stared out the window instead of closing my eyes. My office window is rather high, and most of my view is of a large, leafy bush. Today was a windy day, and the bush was in constant motion. It didn’t take long for my imagination to humanize both […]
Everyday Loss
I got some news this week about a change at work. Without getting into too much detail, it’s a change that I knew might be coming, and I fought it all the way, but the fight is over now. The change is happening whether I like it or not. I can’t help but couch this […]
The Growth Cycle
When my kids were babies, I noticed a pattern of growth spurts. First they’d grow physically. I’d notice this phase when they cried a bit more easily (growing pains), ate a lot more food, and eventually strained at the seams of their pajamas. Next, they’d grow mentally. They’d make a cognitive leap, like figuring out […]