Every Three Seconds
“You want to know about Indian culture?” he asks with a raised brow. I pick up my pen, square my shoulders, and give an affirmative bring-it-on nod. The lobby lounge is relaxed after a full day of visitors and tourists trafficking through the hotel. I’m having an evening coffee at the bar and my guest, […]
Sacred Harvest
I’ve always enjoyed fall. Not because of the burnished and bronze treetops or the soft comfort of an old sweater or for the ubiquity of football. Definitely not for the football. Rather, I am incredibly buoyant during the early fall months, inspired by the season’s warmth and currents of change. Perhaps it’s trace enthusiasm for […]
Back to the Future
“Don’t you remember when police officers had the baseball cards?” This happens a lot. Though I’m Milwaukee-born, I’m an Army brat and didn’t fully experience the city until I moved back an adult. Subsequently, I miss many of these “remember back when” references of my Milwaukee-bred peers. “Don’t you remember??” he insists. Gabriel is a […]
Bravery

I spotted the boy first. A fair-headed toddler with the ambition –if not the arm extension—to reach the hand towels all by himself. Up on his tiptoes, he wiggled and stretched his fingers toward the sensor. His small grunts only rumbled out as giggles. His mother and I watched for an extra heartbeat before she […]
… and One to Go

Tom and Marge are almost there. One kid is halfway through college and the other has just vacated the guest room. “You’re not off duty when your kids turn 18,” says Tom. “Not even when they’re out of college. A good friend warned me long ago that 30 is the new cutoff.” Marge is wearing […]