Which Direction am I going?

Hello from the Cumberland Plateau and Spencer, TN, I arrived here on Saturday night, almost a week ago, having traveled from the Quad Cities, with a stop in Fenton, Missouri, and then back through the tip Illinois and north to south through the corner of Kentucky. For the most part, the drive was good andContinue reading “Which Direction am I going?”

American Gothic and My Iowa Roots

Hello from rural Mallard, It’s about the end of the day, the sun is setting, I can smell livestock from the hog containment facility down the road, and yes, there are flies (scads of them). It was a productive day as I got the weather stripping for the main bus door ordered, and the majorityContinue reading “American Gothic and My Iowa Roots”

Aspiration is Life

Hello from the Main Bus Station in Kraków, This is when this post began, but the lack of synchronization with devices from WordPress seems to have lost it. However, with minimal revision, the post remains relevant. Reflection is a central element of life for me. Recounting, reimagining, reconsidering what has happened, where I have been,Continue reading “Aspiration is Life”

Where you Belong

Hello at the end of Finals Week and Grading, I remember finals weeks as a combination of merely wanting to finish and feeling exhausted while simultaneously seeing it as some sort of proving ground, wondering if I had done the requisite work over the past three months to demonstrate some sense of competency (which isContinue reading “Where you Belong”

Lacking Friendly Skies – Grateful for Friendly People

Hello well before 5:00 a.m., I am in the Charlotte/Douglas Airport after arriving and waiting until almost midnight before getting to a hotel. I was asleep not quite three hours and then up for a taxi back to the airport. Originally, I was supposed to already be in Costa Rica yesterday, but as noted acrossContinue reading “Lacking Friendly Skies – Grateful for Friendly People”

Facing Mental Illness with Compassion

Hello from a quiet table and pondering the struggle of so many, This past week I have been confronted with two specific incidences where a person certainly struggles with some form of mental illness. Let me begin with two important facts. I am not a psychologist nor a psychiatrist, nor do I have an MSW.Continue reading “Facing Mental Illness with Compassion”

The Shared Experience of Struggle Creates Equity, and perhaps Empathy

Hello from my kitchen on an early Monday morning, It is about 5:40 a.m. and I have decided it is time to get back to a productive schedule. I had actually set my alarm for 6:45, but I woke up about 5:00 and decided to get up. I am cooking oatmeal and decided to doContinue reading “The Shared Experience of Struggle Creates Equity, and perhaps Empathy”

The Initial Date

Hello from the front porch, It has been a beautiful beginning to June. It has been busy with school and a summer class as well as managing the yard, which is a daily chore, but one I enjoy. The acre still needs work; while much has been accomplished, and there are no major projects thisContinue reading “The Initial Date”

Imagining 50 Years

Hello from my porch, When I was 14, I had an opportunity to be a member of the Sioux City Children’s Community Theatre. We were part of a larger group of theatre folks that included adults, but we were also independent. Be that whatever it was, we were a rather motley, mismatched, but open mindedContinue reading “Imagining 50 Years”

What is in a Decade? (and I have not forgotten about hope)

Hello from my study.  Somehow I thought I wrote an entire paragraph or two before I went to a meeting, but I guess I have lost it. I think it was because I had not saved and then closed some windows. That is not the first technological snafu I have accomplished or preformed today, soContinue reading “What is in a Decade? (and I have not forgotten about hope)”