Writing & Reflection

How the Sounds of the Season Endure As I sat reading in the late afternoon, the sounds of summer drifted through the neighborhood and into the open window nearby. The book soon rested closed in my lap. The first notes of the afternoon arrived one by one. Somewhere down the block, a lawn mower hums, […]

As part of a travel writing class, we were given a 500-word memoir assignment: Revisit a photograph from a trip, return to the exact moment it was taken, and write about what we were doing and thinking at the time. This essay is the result. My son and I set out for a day on

Over time, I found myself paying attention to something I hadn’t really noticed before, the small moments just before a decision is made. Not the decision itself, and not the outcome. Just that brief pause beforehand. The moment when something could go one way or another, often without much thought at all. They’re easy to

A federal employee reflects on the government’s “Fork in the Road” offer. In early 2025, federal employees across the government began receiving an email with a striking subject line: “Fork in the Road.” The message introduced a Deferred Resignation Program. Accept the offer, and you could leave your agency within weeks but remain on the

There is nothing like a photo or two to rekindle thoughts about your childhood. Looking through old photos of our Christmas trees from past Christmases, I realize some of my clearest childhood memories of this time of year are of decorating our tree. The part that truly stands out is the tinsel. Everything else felt

Watching Florida Alligators Florida alligator photography has become a natural extension of time spent around the still lakes of Florida. The more often I watch them, the more I notice how unhurried they are, how completely at ease they seem in the water. That calm, confident presence, especially when only their eyes and snout break