A Life Worthy

Babylon

Posted on September 23, 2013 by michaelSeptember 24, 2013

crown I had dinner with some interesting people the other day. There were, let’s see, three kings, an angel, and a prophet of God, all munching on Fresh Mex.

OK, so they weren’t actually real-life Bible characters brought from the past to be my mealtime companions. They were only actors in the show Daniel—the one I’ve milked three posts out of so far. Still, they outranked me; I play four minor characters in the show, and each dies gruesomely.

Anyway, I started thinking about these characters, especially the kings (I don’t think I could get inside the head of a prophet, and I’m not even going to try to understand an angel). For some reason, Nebuchadnezzar in particular fascinates me. After all, this was a living, breathing man, not a cartoon character. Even if he never ate a sweet pork burrito, I’m thinking that he could not have been so very different from me. Continue reading →

Country of the Blind

Posted on September 18, 2013 by michaelSeptember 18, 2013

blindfold

This vision/blindness theme really has a hold on me.

My last post got me thinking about one of my all-time favorite stories, The Country of the Blind. H.G. Wells wrote this tale of a man who finds himself trapped in a village that has been physically cut off from the outside world for centuries. Over the years, the villagers have evolved a brutal congenital defect.

They’re blind.

All of them.

Completely.

Blind like—they’re born without eyes—that kind of blind.

Continue reading →

Vision

Posted on September 15, 2013 by michaelSeptember 15, 2013

In Iowa, it is legal for a blind person to carry a gun.

Just…let that soak in for a moment.

Now, I’m a big supporter of the Second Amendment, and I’m certainly against discrimination based on physical disabilities, but…seriously? A blind person with a gun? Immense power in the hands of one who has no means of directing it accurately or effectively could have significant and terrifying ramifications.

I’m sure there’s a political aspect to this, but we won’t go there today. Continue reading →

Optidultery

Posted on September 12, 2013 by michaelSeptember 12, 2013

Is it possible to commit optical adultery?

I have been faithful to the same optometrist for 35 years. At age 10 I was, I believe, one of his very first patients. Through college, and moves, and marriage, and kids, I have been a steadfast customer and sustainer of his lavish lifestyle.

You see, my eyes do this weird thing. It’s called not working. Continue reading →

Women Troubles

Posted on September 6, 2013 by michaelSeptember 6, 2013

So, do cars have estrogen?

I know we call them, “She,” like we do with ships. I just wonder—how far does the metaphor go? ‘Cause I’m pretty sure that our van—her name is CocoPuff—is having some sort of hormonal issues.

Perhaps I’m just hypersensitive to this because I am currently surrounded by a number of—how do I say this and not get disemboweled—emotionally shaky ladies. Continue reading →

Taste and See

Posted on August 25, 2013 by michaelAugust 25, 2013

I really like eating. cake

The whole experience. Anticipating that first bite of yummiosity. The way my mouth waters as I smell the food. The burst of taste on my tongue. Delicious, slow chewing. The swallow. The sigh. The occasional discreet belch.

I mentioned a few weeks ago that my Mother-in-Law has cancer. The tumor is in her throat, and treatment combines chemotherapy with radiation targeted at her neck. This combination of radiation and chemotherapy have made it increasingly difficult to eat. For those of you who are unaware—as I, blissfully, was until a month ago—radiation and chemo attack your ability to eat in a nefarious variety of ways. Continue reading →

Over Protective

Posted on August 17, 2013 by michaelAugust 17, 2013

Over Protective?

You decide.

You also get to guess where I am sitting as I write this.

My daughter wants to spend the night at a friend’s home. Three girls—two seventeen-year-olds and one fourteen-year-old Princess of My Whole Heart (hereafter referred to as POMWH). My first instinct is to say, “No.” Loudly, emphatically, and with several syllables.

“Nnnuuhhoooooooooooooooooooooowwww.” Like that. Continue reading →

Stream of Consciousness

Posted on August 13, 2013 by michaelAugust 13, 2013

These are the things I think about when I am supposed to be writing a blog post…come take a dip in my stream of consciousness…

Continue reading →

The Proposal

Posted on August 7, 2013 by michaelAugust 7, 2013

candle It was a dark and stormy night.

Really.

Twenty years and about six months ago, I rented a sound studio in a converted church. I set a table with candlelight, flowers, and a mediocre meal—made with my own hands, for better or for worse. I waited patiently for a knock on the church door.

Knock. Continue reading →