A talking parrot in our kindergarten class. No big deal. This was totally normal because we didn’t know any different. We found the parrot there and left him there when we moved on to grade school. Eating black licorice balls in a relative’s home. His was probably the first upscale home I ever set foot…
Courage Over Fear
Some people are born brave; I wasn’t one of those. Every act of courage I have ever engaged in has been calculated and costly. In the end, I’ve always been glad that I chose courage over fear. The British dictionary defines courage as “the power or quality of dealing with or facing danger, fear, pain,…
Before I Die
If you haven’t heard of the Before I Die Wall, the idea started with artist Candy Chang of New Orleans, LA. A close friend of hers had died unexpectedly, prompting her to think about all the things she would regret not doing, if she were to die then. In response, she created a mural that…
When Disappointment Knocks
Everyone knows a thing or two about disappointment. From the infant who doesn’t get his bottle as quickly as he wants it, to the business owner filing for bankruptcy due to a lack of cash flow, everyone has experienced disappointment and will experience it again and again. I have noticed that the more emotionally invested…
Luanda Magere: Alternate Ending*
Luanda thrust his spear left and right, felling men like young trees. After all the battles he had led and won against the Lang’o in his few years as a warrior, he couldn’t believe how often Jolang’o attacked them. Arrows and spears glanced off Luanda’s body. His skin was as impenetrable as rock. He never…
First-time Dad
He was terrified. All the months of bravado crumbled when he got the call that his wife had gone into labor. She had been at work when her water broke, and someone was rushing her to the general hospital. Was she okay, he wondered? The caller had been in a hurry and hadn’t given many…
Travel Diaries: California, the Heights
I didn’t visit the mountains in California during my road trip, but I’d been to a couple of different ones before and after. Idyllwild was the first mountain town I visited, just a couple of road hours outside L.A. It was mid August, with triple digit temperatures in the San Gabriel Valley. I thought I…
Travel Diaries: California, the Scenic Route
My 9-week road trip had largely been uneventful, until the end. None of the things I worried about had happened. My car didn’t break down or run out of gas. I wasn’t stranded in the middle of nowhere at night (or by day). I didn’t have to drive in heavy snow–this was a real concern…
Travel Diaries: San Francisco
One of the ways in which California surprised me was the variety in landscape. I suppose I hadn’t given it much thought before moving here. A number of mountain ranges surround Los Angeles, including the Santa Monica mountains, complete with deep canyons and cliffs that drop off into the sea in and around Malibu. One…
Halfway: Taking Stock
I’m halfway done with this writing challenge, having written 9 posts in 16 days, including this one,–about one post every two days. Not bad, considering that I wrote only 2 posts in all of 2014. It’s been an interesting journey, forcing me to come up with topics that I actually want to write about. I’ve…
Writing: Its Joys
I don’t clearly remember when I started writing for the joy of it, but I do remember when I fell in love with words. I was a tiny six, perhaps seven, sitting in the back seat of my Dad’s bright yellow Renault hatchback as he gave my mom and me a ride to school. Mom…
California Dreaming
There is so much to say about California that there is just no way I’ll be able to write about it in one post. I’ve moved to California twice, each time a little reluctantly. Each time from Texas. Apparently, There is no love lost between the two states, especially because Texans think that Texas is…
Minda Magero 