Lights on. Windows up. Wipers thumping. Frightened little children rolling along wide black lanes in shiny metal boxes. Thoughts of sunshine wander away and are replaced with wondering what’s for dinner. And whether there’s enough wine to make it to sleep. Tires hiss. Smoke rises. And red lights glisten all the way to the edge of the world. Deciding to go a block out of the way, you call for takeout. In spite of the idiots out. *** Jim Mitchem
In flying back to the US from The Bahamas recently, I had a window seat on the little 30-seater aircraft. Reaching an altitude of about 14,000 feet during the 50-minute flight, I was able to see ripples on the ocean’s surface, and a few boats. I’ve always enjoyed window seats on planes. I like to stare out and think about the people below and what they might be doing safely tucked inside of their tiny chrysalises. As our plane began…
Me and my family just returned from a solid vacation to Great Guana Cay in The Abacos, Bahamas. It was utterly beautiful. Covered in lush, green foliage and sprinkled with wild, fragrant flowers, the island is bordered by pink sand and surrounded by gin-clear water littered with coral reefs teeming with parrot fish. It was as close to paradise as I’ve ever seen with my own eyes. And yes, I’ve been to Hawaii. We saw stingrays, barracuda, turtles, a million…
I think I’ve figured it out – the secret to leading a full life is to string together as many meaningful experiences as possible. Think about it – when we fall into predictable routines, life becomes dull. It loses its luster. We get up. We go to work. We come home. We do it again the next day. If we’re lucky, this grind is dotted with exciting nuggets that keep things interesting. But for most of us, this is how…
Leaving Charlotte. On a plane. The rush of the engines at takeoff. The flight of the stomach as the plane becomes airborne. The jockeying for elbow space. The smell of strangers. The wide-hipped, high-heeled flight attendant brushing against my shoulder each time she passes. The arrogance of first class. The looking down at the little cars and patchwork farmland. The pillow clouds. The no sleeping or even relaxing. The sweat running down my back. The leap of faith in people…
“Because I’ll kill everybody in the room.” has always been my canned response as to why I don’t drink, when asked by someone who is. It works. And it’s probably not that far from the truth. Though probably I’d just kill one person. I’m 47. And the only reason I’m 47 is because I’ve learned to live with a beast. And I’m not talking about alcohol. I’m talking about a little voice that asks me to explore dark places and…
