Entries 525
Page 5 of 21
Panhandling: The Moral Dilemma
My whole life I’ve been aware of the homeless among us. I remember like it was yesterday driving with my parents in downtown New Orleans and going down Camp Street, which was the city’s Skid Row ...
It was the end of lunch period and the screen doors to the cafeteria slammed behind me on my way out. I grabbed my books and walked to the stairwell leading to the long day’s 4th period class. I ...
Once in a lifetime
A Cheyenne elder of my acquaintance once told me that the best way to find something is not to go looking for it… he said to watch out of the corner of your eye, open to possibility, and what you...
Afternoon walks, and what it’s like to be unemployed for a long time
When you’re out of work for months at a time and you don’t have an illness or disability that prevents you from getting out, something as simple as a afternoon walk can make the difference betwee...
Get your motor runnin’ Head out on the highway Looking for adventure In whatever comes our way… “Born to be Wild” Steppenwolf, 1969 I had forgotten it was Oldies Music Party Time at the 55+ “act...
I’ve passed an old abandoned/derelict house in downtown Charleston countless times over the years as It slowly deteriorated, becoming more forlorn, tattered and ghostly looking. I can’t even im...
What is “awe” and where can we discover those feelings of transcendence?
What gives you a sense of awe? That word, awe—the feeling of being in the presence of something vast that transcends your understanding of the world—is often associated with the extraordinary. Yo...
The enduring allure and mystique of Spanish moss
Deep shadows of a late afternoon sun followed me as I slowly ambled around, leisurely taking pictures of centuries-old live oaks scattered across the property. I particularly like to catch the s...
I had of a brief phone conversation earlier today with my younger brother, who was clearly exasperated into sullenness by my immediate jokiness and corny conviviality. I do like to joke around ...
This Winter
A few weeks ago we had three days in succession of the coldest weather I can ever remember since I’ve lived here on the coast of South Carolina. That cold spell did horrific damage to our plants...
Mortality. After a certain stage in life (for me it was retirement and turning 70), my focus seemed to turn like a laser beam to all the health matters that I was suddenly aware of, but had hard...
… Life is filled with suffering, but it is also filled with many wonders, like the blue sky, the sunshine, the eyes of a baby. To suffer is not enough. We must also be in touch with the wonders o...
Thoughts on the meaning and purpose of education in today’s world
The cost of college is a cruel joke these days, and has been for some time. It makes indentured servants of students beholden to the usury of lenders, and thus graduates are permanently in debt p...
…It’s not as if I believe that everything works together to bring us to a particular predestined point. But I do believe that everything we experience can be seen as related, if we are open to ...
The bitter cold fact and symbol of this December’s weather bomb
A few nights ago for the second night in a row, we had temperatures well below freezing. At 18 degrees it was a record, or near record low. We rarely ever have cold like that here in Charleston,...
I’m watching the skies outside my window alternate between thick overcast and emerging light. I love the anticipation. Suddenly it’s sunny out. I feel my spirits lifting. I keep turning to look o...
Merry Christmas, Happy New Year
They’re nothing so entrancing and memory-filled as historic 18th and 19th century homes lit up and decorated for Christmas. This holiday season I’ve ventured into the old downtown Charleston n...
Healthier diets, cancer screenings and the vicissitudes of getting older
I will probably steam some broccoli tonight and open a can of tuna. Plus, some leftover canned stewed okra and tomatoes and a slice of 100 percent whole wheat bread with raspberry jam. For desser...
When I first started an online journal back in 1998, I wrote a lot of reminiscences that first year about growing up. Now, looking back, I feel I have told a lot of my story through the type of “...
My woods are only about forty rods from my door and I have traced and retraced the familiar trails almost daily for many years, yet every walk brings new experiences and fresh revelations. But...
It occurs to me tonight that most of my feelings, emotions, and memories brought back by an account of a solo road trip adventure nearly 40 years ago in the summer of 1984, have been chastened by...
The enchanted park I visit just keeps getting curiouser and curiouser
There is enchantment right in front of you, waiting for you to notice. Janet Luhrs It’s a fact that for years now I’ve become overly sensitive to the goings-on at my favorite park where I someti...
Garden experts all over the world agree that Charleston, South Carolina’s greatest treasure, foremost of even its historical and architectural attractions, is Magnolia Gardens AAA Motorist, 1983 ...
Thinking back, we remember that as children a day seemed to last for a long time, more like the way we experience a month now. A year was so long there was no end to it. Gradually our perception ...
There’s a moon out tonight
…Before a winter storm at night, clouds passed, Filtering the full moons translucence, Pushed by winds that touch the earth with chill, Filling the night with expectancy… From a poem I wrote in...
Book Description
Short essays from the interior of my life.
