The urge to write mounts like lava beneath the surface—little bubbles and steam venting into my thoughts and feelings. I’ve heeded its call enough to know when the giddiness and the wiser, more shareable thoughts reach their peak and need release. Right now, I’m in land-sculpting mode. With my trusty Gorilla Cart and lifetime-warranty, all-metalContinue reading “Breaking the Surface”
Tag Archives: Writing
Where Beasts Roam (Book Part 30)
Previous Side by side, our feet resting on the headlights, Kent and I talk. He teaches elementary school in Manitoba, and with the remaining weeks of his summer break, he’s hiking, adventuring, and exploring national parks. Dehydrated from too much solitude, I drink in communion and belonging, savoring the feeling that someone else gets it.Continue reading “Where Beasts Roam (Book Part 30)”
A Broken Promise (Book Part 23)
Previous A too-warm tent and Harley’s revving wake me. I’m groggy but rested and pull out my phone. 7:00 AM. All at once, the night whooshes in—the texts I didn’t reply to, and Jason. I halfway expect a motionless camp, but as I unzip a small section, I see and wave to two of theContinue reading “A Broken Promise (Book Part 23)”
The Knuckle Saloon (Book Part 21)
Previous Jason and I visit a t-shirt vendor outside the Easy Rider. We browse up and down rows of neatly folded t-shirts in the open air. Here or there, I pause to touch a piece of fabric or pick one up to get a closer look, but the price tag is outside of my budget,Continue reading “The Knuckle Saloon (Book Part 21)”
The Sturgis Scoop (Book Part 18)
Previous “I didn’t know there was a cost,” I say, standing on the stoop with my new biker friends, not wanting to appear ungrateful. “I’m on a road trip and staying in my car to save money. Last night, I was camping in Wyoming, and a man told me this was happening. So I –.” “Wait!Continue reading “The Sturgis Scoop (Book Part 18)”
The Longest Night (Book Part 15)
Previous Chapter 3 Therapist: Do you ever think of suicide?Me: That’s a weird question, considering I’ve never mentioned it. No, I’m too scared to do something like that.Therapist: In a way, how you’re using drugs and drinking to anesthetize yourself – not to mention the risky sex – could be looked at as a slowContinue reading “The Longest Night (Book Part 15)”
Under the Surface (Book Part 11)
Previous I walk up the sidewalk, the same one I’d mindlessly been up thousands of times. Like a dream, the familiarity and comfort splinters; I’m Alice inside the looking glass. Up is down, but with a directive: Say goodbye. Through the ajar front door, I walk. Down the eight-foot brick entry. Into a much too-litContinue reading “Under the Surface (Book Part 11)”
The Spot (Book Part 10)
Previous My mom had the most shiny, reddish-auburn hair you’d ever seen. In her senior high school photo, it flowed elegantly down her mid-back, parted precisely in the middle, and draped over her shoulder. Beauty was a family trait extending to her younger sisters, known as “The four Alexander girls,” whose house on Carriage LaneContinue reading “The Spot (Book Part 10)”
Meeting Jim (Book Part 6)
Previous For the thousandth time, my thoughts demand I turn back to the safety of my car, but to turn back now would make my car a prison of social awkwardness. With each step, fuzzy details become more precise: the windblownness of his thick salt and pepper hair, the neatly tucked white T-shirt into blueContinue reading “Meeting Jim (Book Part 6)”
A Newish You
Creating a new persona is a tip I learned on an episode of “Accelerated Spanish” podcast. This alter ego is supposed to think, speak, and behave in a different way than you usually would, and the podcast creator insists switching personalities this way is a tool native speakers use to be highly effective. I thought,Continue reading “A Newish You”
Going On 40 