As a child, one my favorite comfy pastimes was to lie in my bed, reading aloud to my cat, Amos. She (yes, Amos was a lady) was my best friend, and she would listen patiently for hours as I stumbled my way through my favorite books with her. My favorite book contained a collection of…
Bad Dreams
Two nights ago, I had a dream that I was in a village square, and I saw a sloth on a chain. I started to walk over to the sloth, and then I realized that a chimpanzee was holding the chain. The chimp stood and faced me, baring his teeth in a threat. With his…
What I Read in 2019
After years of trying to read one book a week each week of the year, I FINALLY met my goal in 2019. Fifty-two books in 52 weeks was made slightly less difficult this year by reading a lot of ghost stories. Not exactly high-brow reading, but definitely the theme of the year, from Day 1….
The Ramp
It didn’t rain on the day of the funeral, which was unexpected. Rather, it was a crisp, cool day with a brisk breeze. The sky was still laden with clouds, but the sun peeked through from time to time. It was a perfectly acceptable day, all in all, despite the giant hole in the ground,…
Dream Date
I had a dream last night that I met a guy who wasn’t at all my physical type, but was really funny and clever and kind. He was in charge of planning campaign events for a low-level political character, like a county sheriff or judge. The candidate wasn’t getting reelected, and so this event weekend…
Dreaming in Danish
I had an interesting dream last night. I dreamt of a word in Danish, a language that I do not speak and of which I have no real knowledge. What’s more interesting is that the word made absolute sense in the context of the dream (though I didn’t know it at the time). First, a…
Goodbye 2018
Here’s a thing I bet you thought I’d never say – 2018 was a pretty good year for me. (If you’re having trouble breathing right now, I totally get you. It’s taken me a while to come to grips with this weird piece of information, so please, take your time and soak it in however…
Archaeology of the Self
The following was written a year ago, in December 2017, and has been sitting in my drafts folder ever since. In the celebration of my spiritual and emotional progression in 2018, I think it’s important to post this. I have no lingering memory of the Reiki session recounted in my post, save for having done…
Kill Your Darlings
Faulkner said that in writing, it is paramount to kill your “darlings,” those special, yet extraneous, details that ego often asks us to keep in the manuscript. Creating feels so good, and it’s easy to fall prey to your own fripperies. If you don’t watch it, fear of whittling down your paragraphs can lead to…
Compass & Quill 