I am talking to Pete (not his real name) at the coffee shop. It is probably more accurate to say I am listening to Pete. Pete is homeless, and he passes many hours of each day at the coffee shop, usually sitting outside except on the coldest days of winter. Most days he greets everyone…

When I first began training in the martial arts, I had to learn to trust my teachers–when they said I could do something I didn’t think I could do, I had to try. Then I would discover that I could do the thing. As I became more accomplished in the martial arts, I realized that…

“I’ve been a little too depressing on my blog lately,” I said to my friend Diane the other night. We were eating tacos at Esquina, and trying to decide if they were as good as we remembered. “Huh,” said Diane, which meant something like You are not kidding, sister. “Maybe you should write about Greek…

At the coffee shop, two young women who’ve recently completed their freshman year of college are comparing notes and talking about what they’ll be doing in the fall. Then they move on to a discussion about applying for study abroad programs that will take place in their junior year, and one of them says, “It’s…

It is turning colder here, and we’ve already had our first fire and roasted s’mores. I am thinking of my summer vacation, which was, to say the least, a curious one. But time smooths out the weird parts and I get to keep the good stuff.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my work. I just wish people didn’t need it on their timetable instead of mine, which would include a nice leisurely lunch and perhaps a little nap. ### Dojo Wisdom for Writers, second edition, now available on Amazon in print and ebook! (Nook and other ebook versions here) Catch…