Category: Essay
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Footsteps
There’s footsteps in the hall. Not really footsteps but more of a shuffle. It’s like he’s too tired after all these years to pick up his feet. He probably figures he can conserve energy by simply sliding his feet across the carpet. I cringe, hoping he’s not headed toward me. Then there’s Dr. Knap. I…
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Coffee Mugs
Coffee is wonderful. I’m not alone in saying so. According to the National Coffee Association (this is a real thing), 62% of Americans drink coffee every day. And of those, they drink just over three cups per day on average. Use of a traditional “drip” coffee maker has declined 24% since 2015. Americans want more…
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Stuffed Animals
When I was a kid, stuffed animals were my favorite toys. And I had a lot of them. Each one had a name. Whenever I got a new one, I’d introduce him or her to the rest. I’d stand facing the white, wiry, plastic shelf that rested above the door of my bedroom and ran…
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Yoga
“Maybe you reach up like you’re climbing a rope” or “maybe you do some circles with your wrists.” “If you’d like, you can put your hands out or on your stomach.” These are some of the phrases I hear early on a Saturday afternoon as I sprawl out in yoga class. It takes every ounce…
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Obituary
This sounds morbid but I like to read the obituaries. In fact, it’s become a part of my daily routine. Most of them don’t say how the person died. Some do explicitly – cancer, Alzheimer’s, heart attack, car accident. Others imply: “He finally found peace after a long battle with depression.” Some people are old.…
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Rooms
Last night I dreamt that I was in my old bedroom, the one I had when I lived at home with my parents. I spent a lot of years in that room. One Christmas my dad bought me a large rug/carpet I could put down in it. On Christmas morning we unrolled the blue/gray roll…
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Staycation
You’ve probably heard the term. Staycation. It’s like vacation, except you stay. At your home. Most people consider it second-rate, the alternative to a real vacation, particularly because they’re in some sort of financial bind and can’t afford a week long cruise or getaway to the ski lodge or to the mountains. So, they stay…
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News Anchor
Being a news anchor or live/on-air reporter has got to be one of the worst jobs. I know people have their opinions about watching the news. During my typical work week, I don’t normally make time to sit down and watch the news. For some people, that’s a big part of their routine. I do…
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The Eight-Mile Run
This morning I ran 8 miles. That’s worth writing about. I don’t mean to toot my own horn, although I am proud of myself. Eight miles is the longest I’ve run in my entire life. I ran cross country in high school and the longest run then was 7.5 miles. I remember feeling like my…
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Sauna
I hate being cold. It’s not incredibly comfortable being overly hot either, but if I had to pick, I’d rather be hot. People debate this, I know. A lot of people tell me they’d rather be cold, because “you can always put more clothes on, but you can only take so much off.” Today is…
gremlin fodder 