Here am I floating ’round my tin can
Far above the moon
Planet Earth is blue
And there’s nothing I can do
Almost immediately after writing yesterday’s journal entry style blog post, I started to write another (this one).
Passing Storms
Last night I sat on my balcony with my laptop on my lap. I watched the sky darken – waiting for potential storms to roll through. West Memphis, the town just across the river, was under a tornado watch. I sat out there for at least 20 minutes. I wanted to write – mostly because…
Crossroads
“You’ve had more titles at your United Way than we have positions.” This was a comment made to me by a nonprofit board member during a recent job interview. I’m interviewing to be the CEO of a small nonprofit in a semi-rural community not too far from State College, PA. Job or no job, as…
King Me
This morning as I tried to read a few poems while sitting on the balcony having a second cup of coffee, my brain was having none of it. Hopscotch. No, it’s more like double dutch? No… it’s like a triple or even quadruple jump in checkers. Forward right, forward left, backward left. I’d read a…
A Strange Start to the Day
I assume what I’m feeling this morning is a combination of anxiety and boredom. The benefits of routine, or more precisely, the challenges one faces when routines are broken seem to be hitting me this morning. The weather isn’t great. Periods of strong wind and driving rain. I woke up at 3:30 and tossed and…
Moving Violations
The clouds are drifting right to left, heavy and gray. Maybe it’s because I can imagine the satellite image from above but they almost look like they’re moving in that great big swirl of a storm that was hurricane Laura. We’re expected to get a good bit of rain from the system, and there’s a…
What’s in a Name?
Freelance work has picked up. I have a potential long-term client, a nonprofit that wants fundraising help, I have a repeat client who has hired me for three jobs, and I got my first unsolicited client interview – they liked my profile and want to see if I’m a good fit. I’m still not sure…
Safety Net
A number of years ago when I was transitioning out of working with at-risk youth (high school kids who were in jeopardy of failing school and in some cases failing out of school) and in to anti-poverty work, I took a training called Bridges Out of Poverty. It was one of the better trainings I’ve…
Sh*t
Excrement. That’s what I thought about before I left my apartment and went for a walk this morning. Unless talking about a baby’s first few poops, it’s a topic most of us avoid. That, death, and taxes. There’s an embarrassment about the whole thing. We light matches to make the smell go away. We’re mildly…
Nap, Eat, Pets
It’s 3pm on a warm and sunny Sunday here in Memphis, TN. Perhaps inspired by Nick the cat, I’ve done little more than feed myself and sleep today. Last night I hung out with my friend Stacy – it was the first time I had ever been over her place (other than to pick her…
Restoring Some Balance
Soft blue skyHelium balloons float up awayBroad daylightBut we’re sunflowers in the rain Those are some lines from the song “Helium.” The song begins with a mutual break-up and the the lines 9:09 / You gonna call it or am I? I’m still listening to the new Glass Animals album on constant repeat. Apparently, it…