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PORTLAND CROSSROADS: SW 3rd AND ALDER

The Portland crossroads are the same at every intersection. North, East, South, and West. It’s the same where you live if you don’t live in Portland. Pick a side and proceed with caution. Why SW 3rd and Alder? Why not. What’s your favorite? Burnside and Broadway? Too easy. Burnside and the Willamette? Here’s the deal: […]

SATISFACTION: NOT ENOUGH, NEVER ENOUGH, CAN’T GET NO?

That moment of satisfaction where you relax, count your blessings, and reflect on what just happened? It’s a project just finished, a trip out of town, a night with the kids. You didn’t look for it, but you found some of that satisfaction. Maybe you didn’t recognize it at first. Or ever have. Now you […]

PERSONAL IDENTITY: WHAT TO LOOK FOR

Personal identity starts the moment you meet someone. You’ve got yours, they’ve got theirs, and the games begin. Maybe you go first and talk about the love you feel for where you grew up. Or they go first and talk about why they left where they grew up as fast as they could. After that […]

HEALING PROCESS? “BUT YOU LOOK FINE.”

The healing process starts after a problem is identified. At least that’s the normal step. ‘Normal’ being the operative word. If something feels off, you get checked out, and you were right. Something is indeed ‘Off.’ It’s a lump, a bump, a mole, a dry cough, night sweats, chest discomfort. Need I go on? Why […]

FEELINGS MATTER, A REVIEW OF WHY ON SAUVIE ISLAND

Feelings matter when you see yourself in a forty year old reflection. In the image I’m looking through a window with another window shining on the other side. Every year for decades a crew would go to Sauvie Island and prepare a historical house for the upcoming season. Every room was cleaned, inventoried, and filled […]

ACCUMULATED CRAP NEEDS NEW TREASURE VAULT HOME

‘Accumulated crap’ is the name for important collections started so long ago I forget the point. It’s also the name for the avalanche of stuff from living long enough to get dumped on. Getting dumped on isn’t the best way of describing accumulated crap, but it fits the theme. If like attracts like, then my […]

EMPATHY SUPERPOWER: THE NURSING TOOL KIT

I know empathy superpower when I see it. Why? Because I’ve felt it. I had a headache when my brother got hit with a bat. If I could have, I would have donated my knees to Joe Namath for playing football in white shoes and long hair. I feel things with people and let it […]

HEARTBREAK HOTEL ON THE CORNER OF LONELY STREET

I checked into Heartbreak Hotel on Monday, except it had another name. To my surprise there wasn’t a line at the desk; the crowd was already inside. The crowd is everywhere in the news.

MESSAGE SENT, FOLLOWED BY REGRET AND HOPE

The message sent about Portland Oregon is one of hope. When the homeless set up camp, Portland hoped they were comfortable. Protest marchers clashed with Portland police hoping for change. Rival groups faced off. The message sent to them, to us, was there would be no police involvement. I suppose the hope was they would […]

BEST LIFE TO LIVE IS RIGHT NOW, RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE

“Live your best life,” they say, but what’s it really mean? I’m pretty sure ‘they’ don’t mean take a page from the bi-polar play book and create new personalities based on internet scrolling. Mental health is no laughing matter, but what is it about some people who display red flags and call it their best […]