Schedules and Social Distancing

TERESA’S THOUGHTS:   I live in Washington state which apparently is the epicenter of the Coronavirus outbreak in the United States.  I have gone from believing I could carry on life as usual, to hunkering down at home for the foreseeable future. The common threat of this virus makes our world seems smaller and more intimateContinue reading “Schedules and Social Distancing”

Steps

 TERESA’S THOUGHTS:   Writing is a series of steps. The first step is getting the idea from my brain onto my laptop. My brain can’t be too tired or distracted. Often my fingers are unable to type fast enough for the floodgate of words spilling out. It feels like my brain is vomiting. My only goalContinue reading “Steps”

I Am Dry

A poem about finding the calm within oneself regardless of the weather swirling around you.

Shake, Shake, Shake Your …

  “Shake Dem Halloween Bones” by Mike Reed is a children’s book that combines colorful illustrations of children dressed in fairy tale costumes with a catchy chorus. “Shake, shake, shake dem bones now.  Shake, shake, shake dem bones now.  Shake, shake, shake dem bones at the hip hop Halloween Ball”. We read the book and singContinue reading “Shake, Shake, Shake Your …”

To TV or Not to TV?

I grew up before the internet, video games, cable TV and smart phones had been invented. My childhood electronics included a radio, alarm clock, record player, and television. I learned about the world from news my parents watched or from folded newspapers tossed on our porch in the sleepy hours of the morning. I wouldContinue reading “To TV or Not to TV?”

Snake

A snake knows when to leave its skin behind and does so without fanfare or fuss. Oh, to have the freedom of a snake. Free of guilt and fear. Free of the hamster wheel of thoughts cycling through the endless what-ifs, responsibilities and possible regrets. A snake simply slithers from skin that has become rigidContinue reading “Snake”

What Do You See?

As soon as I walk into the gym I feel as if all eyes are on me saying, “You don’t belong here with your chubby belly and flabby frame.”  Like Harry Potter, I wish to hide beneath an invisibility cloak so I can go about my workout unnoticed. Since these cloaks only exist in magicalContinue reading “What Do You See?”

Building Bravery

Sam had both arms wrapped tightly around his mother as she opened the door on his first day of preschool.  He took a quick peek at the classroom before seeking refuge behind her again.  Sam knew his mom was going to leave.  She’d been telling him for weeks how much fun he would have atContinue reading “Building Bravery”

My Lap

Tonight my daughter crawled into my lap.  I could tell something was bothering her, but I’d learned that prying often led to her withdrawing like a turtle deep into a protective shell where I could not reach her.  But tonight when the house was silent and dark she crawled into my lap. She is nineteenContinue reading “My Lap”

Jar of Stones

I remember hearing a story about a monkey who came across a glass jar full of colorful stones.  Being a curious monkey she reached in to take some.  With her hand inside the jar she realized she wanted more than one stone so she filled her fingers with all she could hold.  When she triedContinue reading “Jar of Stones”