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MY JOURNEY? WHERE ARE WE GOING

How many times have you seen a title beginning with, ‘My Journey?’ The answer is, “A lot.” I googled it to make sure. Everything is journey, an adventure, a trip? No, no it’s not, and understanding why is a great cause of disappointment. But, if everything was a journey, how many have you had?

BELIEF TO DISBELIEF, AND BACK

Belief to disbelief in anything you see, touch, or feel, is a short trip. First you hear something you like and it’s all, “Hell yeah, brudder.” But real life happens, as it does, and what you’ve heard comes to fruition. It’s not what you expect? Your inner-immature critic says, ‘F-that. No one asked for that.’ […]

COMMUNITY STORYTELLING: U.S. ARMY 1974-1976

The definition of community for Community Storytelling from Oregon Humanities:   When we say “community,” we mean any group of people who share a common experience thanks to where they live, the language they speak, their race, their religion, their age, or some other attribute. When we say “storytelling,” we mean nonfiction stories conveyed through […]

MEET THE NEW BOSS, SAME AS THE OLD BOSS

The new boss comes in to change things, to do what the old boss couldn’t do. Whether it’s changing the order of operations, the culture, or cutting expenses, it’s a job someone has to do. If you’ve worked in a place during the transition from the old ways to new, you know what happens: People […]

THE OTHER PORTLAND OREGON

The other Portland once had a reputation as a place for rich hippies to retire young and send their kids to Reed College. If that was the 70’s those kids might be fifty or sixty years old; thirty or forty if they started a family late, or decided to have more than one family. Since […]

THE PAPER CEILING FIRE

You’ve heard of the ‘paper ceiling?’ No? Now you have. “Millions of workers with in-demand skills and experience, overlooked for higher-wage jobs because they don’t have a bachelor’s degree.” They don’t have a bachelor’s degree? Like that’s the ticket for a good life?

STEP UP, STEP OUT, SOONER THAN LATER

Step up to the standard of steps, which from most voices is around ten thousand a day. 10K? How can that be? Where does that happen? This is one example of how and where it might.

TRY ME? EVERY FATHER’S HOPE

“I’ve got three boys,” a former football star said. “I’ve got to stay in shape because they’re going to try me.” Try me? Do we all know what that means? Probably not if you didn’t try your Dad. But you did. Right? You did? How did that work out for you? How does it ever […]

THE KINDNESS OF STRANGERS AND FRIENDS

The kindness of strangers came in when I took the wrong turn on an LA sidewalk. It was a turn right or turn left choice and I turned the wrong way. Another couple came out of the same door and turned the opposite way. It was during a car return ordeal, which isn’t usually an […]

LONG BEACH FROM PORT TO FLEA MARKET

The Long Beach Flea Market, or Antique Market, occupies twenty acres of Long Beach City College once a month. It’s a full house of everything you’d ever want to see, just maybe not all in your house. The exciting part, like shopping any flea market, is the big score. If it’s not something you’ve been […]