7:18 pm in July The thunder passes and the clouds break The cicadas start to sing At a swimming pool in the South Children splashing and playing and doing the things children do at pools Oblivious to the plight in Syria Or North Korea Or of the prostitute at crack hotel down the block Free of worry Filled with hope But not really Mostly they’re filled with merriment Keen to peeking in Marco Polo, but blind to the Apache helicopter…
According to my mother, advertising is evil. She cites false advertising as the culprit. “You see something in the newspaper and then you go to the store, and they do the ol’ bait and switch. That’s more than wrong. That’s evil.” When she found out that I had become a copywriter, she was cool with it. That is, until she learned that this meant that I wrote advertising. Since then, I may as well be a felon. I grew up with…
In a world where we’re conditioned to think big and become giants, it’s easy to feel out of touch with the world. But if you don’t feel a sense of humility at least once a day, you’re living wrong. Aim for twice, and you’ll be happier than you’ve ever imagined. There’s a certain peace that comes from knowing that the world is bigger than just you and your little life. But humility isn’t easy. It takes practice. And a willingness…
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…
