The original plan was for this week to be a ‘writing retreat,’ but I’m pretty far away from that goal so far. I’m sitting in my friend’s house in the suburbs while he and his family are out of town and remembering what life was like out here.
I like my loft in the city, thanks. 🙂
Despite my assurances to get back into a more frequent posting schedule, it hasn’t played out that way. Now I know why Chris Guillebeau is so militant with his post schedule. Once you slip, it’s over.
The past couple of weeks have been some of the most intense, yet incredibly rewarding of my life. Mainly because of people I’ve met and experiences I’ve had out in the world.
In the online world of blogging, check-ins, status updates, tweeting, liking, sharing, posting, etc., it’s easy to forget that real relationships can be formed by putting our phones and laptops down and sitting face to face with people or bonding in groups.
Some people balance these two worlds well, but I struggle with this at times, and my silence here over the past couple of weeks proves to me that I have a lot of work to do in this area. Continue Reading…
‘Juror number 20.’
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Did the judge seriously call juror number 20?
Yes, he did.
Tuesday morning, I reported for jury duty, prepared to plead a hardship case on why I could not serve on a jury this week. Believe me, I had several really good reasons. In fact, you might even say that this week was the perfect storm of conditions that made one more commitment (much less one of this size) totally inconceivable.
166 people from all over the world came together over the last month in a showing of support for Kids of the Gulf and the belief that we can all make a difference if we choose to. There are hardly the words to describe how meaningful this support is to me personally.
Last year when the BP spill first started, I had this idea that people who couldn’t go to the Gulf themselves would be willing to support others who were willing to go and witness the disaster unfold, and help the situation in some way. That idea proved to be valid beyond my wildest dreams. Continue Reading…
It’s been a rough week. My friend’s passing was much more difficult than anything I was expecting. Not that this kind of thing is ever expected.
I eluded to the last conversation I had with him in my previous entry, but didn’t say what we talked about. The bottom line of the conversation was that his faith in humanity had been diminished over the years. At the same time, mine had been on the rise.
It was one of those conversations where I felt we were talking in circles, and I decided I wasn’t going to convince him right then and there. I wanted to show him, but either I didn’t have the time before he died, or maybe I did and just didn’t realize it. Continue Reading…
