Essays 1-20

I was once in a school cafeteria, having lunch with a small group of second-graders. The place was about as noisy as school cafterias usually are at lunchtime. At our table, we were asking each other riddles. I was politely pretending not to know the answers. We were having fun. Suddenly, the lunch monitor’s voice…

A friend of mine, who does workshops for teachers and other human services workers around this country, likes to tell about a woman who decided to see a career counselor. As the two were discussing her various career options, she told the counselor, “What I really want to do is be a veterinarian, but that…

I understand why children want to have clubs. Ricky Eugster and I formed the Texas Rangers when we were seven. I was Jase Pearson, and he was Clay Morgan. There were a few other members from time to time. And everybody else wasn’t in the club, so we got to be “us,” and everyone else…

Several of my friends are experts at getting groups of people to sing together, either in harmony or in spirited unison. I respect the kind of talent needed to lead groups that way. I’ve always enjoyed singing in choruses and sing-alongs, and I think group singing is a powerful way to build community. I’m telling…

We all know and/or are adults who have lots of trouble reading maps. Of course, there are many maps that are incorrect, but there are also correct maps that are unfairly blamed for people getting lost or ending up taking longer to get where they’re going. I am fascinated by maps. I ask for window…

Humor can be serious business. True, it can be an irritating distraction at times, diverting attention from the issue at hand. It can be destructive, eating away at human dignity or conveying suppressed anger in a way that it can’t be answered (Can’t you take a joke?). I know funny people, people who receive humor…