As I write this, people in my writing circle are mourning the death of a man who was something of a giant in our literary world. Many are grappling not only with that monumental loss, but they’re struggling to find the appropriate way to express their condolences to his wife (also a renowned author) and […]
The Thing About (My) Parents
“The most loving parents can commit murder with smiles on their faces. They can force us to destroy the person we really are: a subtle kind of murder.” -Jim Morrison. In life, we are bestowed certain things, whether we want them or not. The first of those two are our DNA and the family we’re […]
The Thing About (My) Depression
“When the flood water comes it ain’t gonna be clear, it’s gonna look like mud.” — The Front Bottoms, Twin Size Mattress I don’t know how it is for others. With me, it comes and goes, but when it comes, it does look like mud. Actually, it looks more like quicksand. Or rather a liquid […]
The Thing About Pets
“Gestures are all that I have.” — Enzo, The Art of Racing in the Rain Other than my wife, the person who knows me best is not a person at all. She can breathe, but she can’t speak. She can’t read or write. Can’t run a remote. Can’t drive. Can’t offer advice. Still, she’s one […]
The Thing About Envy
“Few people have the natural strength to honor a friend’s success without envy.” — Aeschylus I wish I could be a lot of things I’m not. One of those is a person who doesn’t envy. After all, envy is one of the Seven Deadly Sins, not to mention it can make you a truly incorrigible […]
The Thing About (My) Drinking
Sometimes it seems like alcohol has always been a part of my life, though really, I didn’t have my first drink until age nine. It was whiskey. Rotgut. Straight out of the bottle. And it was my mother’s idea. In the summers, to make money to buy school clothes or anything else our parents couldn’t […]
