Things I Hear at the Allergist

"Did you take your antihistamine?" "How'd you do last time?" "Would you like an icepack?" "Owweee!!" These are things I commonly hear at the allergist. I've been on allergy shots now for over a decade. Started them originally in 2006 the first time when I lived in North Central Ohio... had to get tested again …

3 Steps In Processing Your Past

I heard it said while watching Disney's Meet the Robinson's a few years back.  It's a great movie with a quirky but lovable family, an antagonist you'll love by the end of the movie, and this mantra, "Keep moving forward." I'm a forward thinking person but I also have a deep love for the past.  It's …

Hand Delivered

When the check doesn't come in from a trusted source... When the fumes of cruel criticism finds it's way past the office into your living room... When the thoughtless family member forgets... again... When the new church ignores your family during the awful 5 minute long "Let's make our guests welcome!" handshake... ...gets redeemed by friends …

“Puppy, go poop!”

I'm writing a children's book.  It's about a boy named Eli and his dog Jackson.  Here's what I have so far. --------- It didn’t rain much in the summer where Eli lived but a very big and scary thunderstorm kept Eli and his 5 month old puppy Jackson inside.  Eli and Jackson were playing in …

Writing Exercise #9 – “I remember…”

This was a writing exercise called “I remember…” - I had to start a paragraph with, “I remember…” and let my memories guide me. I chose the first time I cried really hard, outside getting spanked:) I remember by first deep sadness shortly after my great grandfather Willis Cottom, or "Umpa" (pronounced Oom-puh), as we …

Writing exercise #7 – “Dear Self…”

Dear Tim, Right now I can hardly say that I'm almost 40 but you probably think that sounds pretty young.  Regrets suck and we should really agree not to have any, or at least any that could really hurt others. I hope you've kept you our writing and overall creative communication. Have you figured out …

Writing exercise #6 – Satire: Rehoming Boa Constrictor

Rehoming 3 year old Red Tail Boa to good home.  What started out as a present for a blind date turned into 3 years of marriage until last week. It got a little weird when she wouldn't let me bring him to bed with us anymore. If I had a nickel for every time I …

Writing exercise #5 – Homerun Inn

Don't get me wrong, Chicago is a great City but my unique experience there last summer left some of the windy city to be desired. A friend and I stayed in Air BNB which could not have been a better experience. All was exceptional including the Coldplay concert we caught with the other 68,998 screaming …

Writing Exercise #4 – Plausible Origens: Fidget Spinners

How did a tool used by Lockheed Martin become the inspiration for what is now known as the fidget spinner? No doubt the doobious pair of interns organizing shelf 13b stumbled across a pair of Hetzleflaag grade aluminium bearings with winglike appature and the rest is hissszzzssstory. Disclaimer: this is a writing exercise and none …

Writing Exercise #3 – My first…

For today's writing exercise I need to describe one of my firsts.  It shall be my first... car. I was traveling with the recruiting team with my college on summer vacation 1997 and came home to one of the best surprises my dad had ever planned for me -- a car!  It was an '87 Toyota Celica …