Out of the Basement

I just had one of my hyper nerd moments! I just left this house. It was the childhood home of John Steinbeck in Salinas California. He grew up here. He wrote short stories before going to college at this house. In my mind's eye, I can see him coming home to visit his parents with copies of some manuscript like Grapes of Wrath, Cannery Row, or Of Mice and Men in his worn out leather valise. In his stories I found that crazy didnt just live at my house... its all of us. And, that when times are not good, everyone's experience is similar.  I found hope in the commonality of situation from him. He was one of the many reasons I wanted to be a writer myself when I left for college. As I walked down this front path, I felt that emotional tug that tells my racing heart that I was standing in a very special place... at least for me...

I recalled last night a quote attributed to Mark Twain... "the coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco." He probably didn't say it; some guy living off Lombard Street walking from work most likely said it as he was brushing off the cold on a windy July afternoon headed home to light a fire to break the chill! The sea fog that can be experienced there in the bay area can turn a sweltering 90 degrees in Oakland to a bone chilling 65 degrees and windy just by crossing one of those long bridges. It also renders a landscape that can be wonderfully panoramic to densely opaque no sooner than you can drive from Nob Hill to Telegraph Hill. At dinner last night I was thinking how we adapt to such changing conditions.  Leaving Atlanta very early in typical summer clothes, even early in the morning, did not prepare me for the driving winds and biting cold! I knew the temperature was moderate compared to home... but still! Growing up in the south in the middle of J

Its really funny watching people... watching people.  No one really sees each other. That would be entirely too intimate; heaven help us if we were forced to engage one another. What stories would we have to share with each other anyway? A too fast paced life... kids driving us crazy... work is such a stress... we just dont have enough time! It strikes me that the message shared would probably be very similar to the one being received. We are all in this together doing the same things but sharing our road (and burden) with no one. A singular journey... a common experience. How much easier if we just honored an age old message to help each other along. Its the threads  of common experience that leads to the community of security and comfort we weave. Just for today... say hello to a stranger.  Reintroduce yourself to an old friend. Share someone else's something. Be somebody's somebody for just a moment. Our opportunity is now to be more than just a life... be a life lived

"...We don't feel much support most days. Let's not make today most days."                          Dallas Police Chief Brown This is probably the same sentiment shared by the groups of families and communities who are shouldering the loss of family members to police shootings. Its ironic that all sides of these issues share much more than realized: fear, anxiety, uncertainty, loss, grief, etc... nothing good can come from any part of these tragedies unless we come together to help each other through this. In reality, the answers are way too complicated to resolve within minutes, hours even days of such events. The answers lie in a deeper understanding of real truth and an acceptance of our role in improving our concerted effort to be a better us. Just as unfortunate is the reality that for us to find the answers, we must all go to a place thats uncomfortable; a meeting place of real understanding and honest acceptance of responsibility to speak truth (not our op