“How amazing it is to find someone  
who wants to hear about all the things 
that go on in your head.”
~ Unknown

Each blog post I write focuses on one particular thought or theme. This one is different. I’m not sure why I feel inclined to do this tonight, but I’ve had a few random thoughts running circles in my mind this evening, so I thought I’d write about them. Perhaps, in doing so, I might be able to make more sense of them.

• I miss my Mom. I guess I could say this every day, but, for some reason, it’s hitting me harder tonight. I looked at the clock a half-hour ago and it was 7:15 p.m. That’s the time I would call Mom each night on FaceTime prior to her passing last August. Our conversations would last anywhere from ten to ninety minutes, depending upon Mom’s energy level each night. I miss those calls.

• When I flew down to Nassau to say goodbye to my friend, Kim, in mid-March, the experience was bittersweet. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to spend time with Kim and her husband, Simon, but it was difficult knowing that it would be our last visit. She died a few weeks later. While in Nassau, however, I had the opportunity to get together with a number of my other former students from Saint Augustine’s College. I also met someone new — a young woman from Trinidad, now living in Toronto, who is the Caribbean recruitment representative for Seneca College in Toronto. Her job takes her to places like the Bahamas, Jamaica, Aruba, Guyana, and Barbados to inform potential students about the educational opportunities at Seneca. It sounds a bit crass to suggest that her friendship replaces the one I had with Kim. That’s not how relationships work. Meeting her, however, was one of the highlights of my brief island getaway.

• Life is full of surprises. In an effort to promote my latest book about the relationship between fathers and their adult children, I contacted the Santa Clara Adult Education Center to see if they might be interested in offering a course for men to discuss the joys and challenges of fatherhood. After some consideration, I was informed that such a course really didn’t fit in with their program. Much to my surprise, however, the woman with whom I was speaking asked, “Could you teach a course in poetry?” Never in my life had I considered such an undertaking. Well, the first of two eight-week sessions begins on Tuesday, August 15th at 6:30 p.m. Yes, I’ll be back in the classroom, but in a very different role this time.

• The English language offers us a variety of ways to express ourselves. My writing has been described by many as “conversational,” and easy to read. I like that feedback, since that is exactly how I want my writing to be. Some, however, feel the need to either impress others with their words or to exaggerate their accomplishments with a more confusing description than is necessary. I saw this example posted by a friend on Facebook this afternoon:

Under the “experience” heading on a résumé, a job applicant wrote: “I changed lightbulbs.” When he took it to a career counselor, it was recommended that he spruce it up a little bit. On the final draft of the applicant’s résumé, the statement read: “Single-handedly managed the successful upgrade and deployment of new environmental illumination systems with zero cost overruns and zero safety incidents.” Yeah, that’ll do the job.

Have a great weekend!