Everyone didn’t see the joke — Imagine the scene. I was 23 and working in the claims department of an insurance company. Cubicles were all around me. Surely over 100 cubicles in this enormous room, with mine around the middle. Nothing special at all. Paying medical claims at that time required a lot of data input…

Their lives speak through their ink — I was visiting a friend and saw she had gotten a tattoo. I could only make out a few words, so asked to see the whole quote and hear her tattoo story. I love tattoo stories. I am that person who asks strangers to see their tattoos and then tell…

May Six Word Photo Story Challenge: “Water” — Sometimes it’s OK to ignore rules. When we make rules, we often think about how they should apply to us and people like us in very defined situations. When I saw this silly goose sitting under the sign, following exactly what it said, it reminded me of people. Suppose someone fell in the water when fishing…

It’s not a time for criticism — The woman was discussing a man with a cancer diagnosis. The outlook looked grim. As in a six to 24-month life expectancy grim. He was understandably thrown into a funnel of anxiety. “I thought he’d be braver than this,” she told someone I know. …

They still serve me, but not as well — Had someone asked me to name my favorite body part years ago (FYI, that is a recommended icebreaker question), I would have picked my legs. I was rather pleased with them. They were shapely. If I gained weight elsewhere on my body, my legs stayed rather slim and proportionate. They…

Sky Collection Quote Prompt №38 — “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” — Howard Thurman The words of a poet can jar us from complacency, become part of us, and make us wake up and…

April Six Word Photo Story Challenge: “Life” — Life can change quickly, sometimes overnight. Last night I published a light and breezy story about this corner in my hometown. At about 2:30 a.m. this morning, a fire ravaged the first three buildings on the corner. It was about 5:30 a.m. when the fire department got it under control. Seventy-five firemen were on the scene. …

Letting them know you’re there — It was 6 a.m. The 18-year old high school senior was on his way to work – traveling by skateboard. He was hit by a car driven by a 67-year old woman and died at the scene. It happened on a road I travel often — one of the most…

April Six Word Photo Story Challenge: “Life” — “My city, from the car window.” I shot this out of my car window. I shoot way too many pictures out of my car window. But when you’re sitting at a stop light and you know you have a minute you amuse yourself. I live in a pretty little city, with about 28,000 people. While small…