By Tracie Adams I’m positive the assistant manager of the ice-skating rink was not expecting the response he got. He puffed out his argyle sweater-clad chest and squared off his petite, round shoulders as if trying to scare off a bear. His animated behavior only served to heighten the humor of the scene, so my … Continue reading The Good Goodbye
Shopping Memories
By Debra J. White I grew up in New York City during the Cold War era. The city was packed with multi-level department stores that stocked clothing, furniture, toys, linens, hats, appliances and more. There was free gift wrapping and complimentary boxes. Some NYC department stores like Bloomingdale’s were high end for the upscale shopper. … Continue reading Shopping Memories
A Night in an Ethiopian Monastery
By Michael J. Barrington Debre Damos had always fascinated me. I’d visited several monasteries in Ethiopia on previous visits, including several in Lake Tana, but never this one. Getting there by road was only the beginning of my adventure! Having flown into Axum, I drove towards Adigrat, on a reasonably well surfaced road, passing deep … Continue reading A Night in an Ethiopian Monastery
The Hen or the Egg, Which Existed First?
By Joshua Ibirogba Before my mother thought to put diapers on me as an infant, she had put waist beads on this infant. She held me up like a trophy, it was fair she took my loud cries as a consent to the adorning—that is all babies ever do, isn't it? I am African, so … Continue reading The Hen or the Egg, Which Existed First?
Submerged Values
By Thomas E. Simmons Released in 1997, Titanic1 casts massive shadows. The film’s title mimics the gargantuan scale of the eponymous ocean liner herself (displacing 52,000 tons), the scope of her disastrous finish (the deadliest peacetime ship-sinking in history), and the film’s swollen budget (at $200 million, the most expensive film ever made at the … Continue reading Submerged Values
Sun Tzu and Entertainment: Strawberry Panic’s Etoile Competition
By Andrew Nickerson Throughout history, Sun Tzu’s The Art of War has been used to explain numerous different outcome types. Battlefields, sports competitions, politics, and even business dealings have been analyzed/dissected via this legendary master of tactics and strategy. However, there’s one realm of reality that hasn’t been broached with this type of analysis until … Continue reading Sun Tzu and Entertainment: Strawberry Panic’s Etoile Competition
Birthday Surprises
By Roger Funston I’m watching traditional German folk dancing on my 70th birthday today (May 5, 2024) at a German social club in Sacramento, California. Men and women in traditional German garb perform the Maypole Dance. We arrive at the opening, spy an amazing display of desserts laid out on a table and go directly … Continue reading Birthday Surprises
I Felt it in My Blood
By Lennox Shuppe I remember my great grandmother, Maude, collecting things. She went to flea markets in rural Oklahoma, coming home with little treasures that she squirreled away. Her home smelled of cinnamon, sage, and old books. The ground was neatly swept cement in her tiny little home on the Cherokee reservation. As you walked … Continue reading I Felt it in My Blood
A Pandemic Journal, the First Few Weeks
By Bakhtiar Ahmed First published: March 2022 in Kindle Thy Embers Anthology published by Lit-light publishers, Pakistan A Pandemic Journal, the First Few Weeks Bakhtiar Ahmed I woke up with a sinking feeling, a feeling of dread and hopelessness; I had an intense urge to flee but there was nowhere to go. I felt trapped, suffocated, … Continue reading A Pandemic Journal, the First Few Weeks
Who Am I? A Journal of Self Discovery
By Savannah Sisk This essay is a journey of self-discovery contained in a meager two thousand-something words. As you read you will watch me discover, then re-discover the concept of identity. As you read, you will watch me discover my identity. Along the way, you might be influenced to begin your own journey of self-discovery. … Continue reading Who Am I? A Journal of Self Discovery
Academy of the Heart And Mind 