Feast On Your Life Audrey, Sienna, and Cora enjoying bird kisses “Birds know themselves not to be at the center of anything but at the margins of everything—the end of the map. We only live where someone’s horizon sweeps someone else’s. We are only noticed on the edge of things, but on the edge of things, we notice much.” ― Gregory Maguire I’m lying in my room listening to the birds outside.  Who knows where we get our faulty assumptions, but I’ve always thought that birds tweet or chirp because they are happy creatures, and on some level, I’ve harbored this illusion that they were create ..read more

Playing Ball with Wynne Leon and Dr. Victoria Atkinson It’s a pitch, all right, but not one you can bat out of the park.  Wynne and Vicki put me on the mound, so to speak, and asked for a live pitch of the new book Larry and I are writing in tandem. Please don’t ask how it’s going. Okay, it’s like dragging a dead body across the Mojave desert and backing into a cactus. I think that’s as detailed as we need to be. We’re making progress, but it’s painfully slow, and like the Oakland A’s, we’re a long way from Las Vegas. So I threw it out there, put my entire body into it, and they recorded ..read more

Cora and Sienna “The Prankters” So come to the river of your imagination, or the harbor of your longing, and put your lips to the world. And live your life.” ― Mary Oliver Sunday was Easter, followed by April Fools’ Day, which was considered a major holiday in my family of origin. While I was growing up, I was honing my skills and pranking with the best of them. My parents were big on practical jokes. Nancy and I got the gene. My sister and I planned, calculated, and pulled off a joke on our parents every year. We were quite imaginative for kids. One time we flooded the garage, so they would t ..read more

“I stopped dreaming and woke up.” Cheryl Oreglia It’s early Saturday morning. I’m peeking out of one eye because I don’t want to wake up but I have to use the facilities and if I open both eyes I’m going to fully wake up and the night, along with my dreams, will be over. Do you feel my pain? I caught a glimpse of my blurry resolve reflecting off the glass of the large French doors across from my bed. We sort of stare each other down but her tenacity is better than my weary self and eventually, I look away.  Glancing at the clock on my nightstand, I go into a hard squint so I can make out ..read more

“The wrong decision you made at the right time is better than the right decision you made at the wrong time.” Ben Fajemilua Recently, I discovered how something unexpected can change my perspective, challenge my convictions, and stretch my empathy as if a rubber band. I’m still scratching my head, “How the hell did this happen?”  After agreeing to pick up our friends Jim and Sue from the airport on their return flight home from Sayulita, I await Sue’s text telling me when they land. Getting to the San Jose Airport at 5:00 p.m. on a weeknight is never ideal. Although the airport is only a ..read more

“Most of your unhappiness in life comes from the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself.” John Piper Shuffling to the refrigerator in the middle of the night, I open the French doors wide and stand in the bubble of soft light. Staring at the contents of this cool space organized by bottle height and container size makes me smile. My eyes scan the sloppy jars of condiments, sliced pickles from last summer, and at least two plates of butter at various stages of use. I grab the bowl of tuna, pinch a small amount, and shove it in my mouth.  The burst of flavor ..read more

Of Our Lives “Vulnerability is not winning or losing; it’s having the courage to show up and be seen when we have no control over the outcome. Vulnerability is not weakness; it’s our greatest measure of courage.” Brené Brown The alarm goes off at exactly 6:30 am. Mercy me. It takes a minute to figure out where I am and how the hell to turn off that appalling noise.  After pushing every square inch of my phone with my index finger, I’m plunged into blissful silence and blindly search the nightstand for my glasses. Then I let the soft pillows encapsulate me and relish the fact I have 45 mi ..read more

Day One 2024 SFWC “To need to be seen, to be heard, to be understood, is simply to be human.” ― L.R. Knost Walking up to the crowded hotel bar tucked in the southwest corner of the lobby is brave. Beyond brave if you ask me. As what often happens in life, I am confronted with ruthless confirmation of what I already know to be true, and of course, I’ll unabashedly share every gory detail with you.   After checking into the San Francisco Writer’s Conference at the Hyatt Regency and claiming my participant badge, I attended the welcome talk before returning to my peaceful room, where I ..read more

There’s Another Possibility “I dwell in possibility…” Emily Dickinson Larry decided to head up to the lake for a few days and finish working on the dock before the next atmospheric storm hits California. That was the invented reason, but I suspect what he really needed was a break from his harried wife, who has been taking on the characteristics of a gray stone.  I decided not to go along (that strange noise you just heard was his sigh of relief), and other than a short to-do list, I really couldn’t tell you what was prompting me to stay home, aside from this subtle but persistent feelin ..read more

“You don’t have to be a brilliant writer; just don’t be boring.” Don Roff Do most blogs suck? Asking for a friend. There are millions of blogs out there that no one reads, or the writer gives up after a few months because it takes time to hone your writing skills, and it’s difficult to attract a following. What do you think makes a blog worth reading? What draws you back to a blog again and again? What deters you from finishing a blog? These are important questions because when I ask you to read this post, you have to put down your iPhone, open your eyes, and think. Hopefully, not scan but ac ..read more