When telling a story, it’s best to start at the beginning, but if you can’t find the beginning just start in the middle. There’s never a dull moment in the Porter household. Just ask Bailey: He’s not bored; he’s exhausted. It’s a lot of work shedding fur all over the rug. He wore himself out. … More Let’s start in the middle
I was never good at sports, mostly because whenever I ran I could never catch my breath. When I did sit-ups, I held my breath. It was one or the other; I was never able to breathe and move my body at the same time. I guess this is where normal people stop reading. What … More Learning to Breathe: Finally. At the age of 55.
Yesterday was a bad day. There were too many disappointments to number. When I woke up this morning, my head was still swirling. I felt like all the emotions that I was dealing with were too much to bring to God, too much to pray about, and why do I want to bother God with … More Constant Love?
What if, instead of a Jew, a gentile atheist was arrested and thrown into a concentration camp? That’s exactly what happened in the book Scheisshaus Luck, Surviving the Unspeakable in Auschwitz and Dora by Pierre Berg with Brian Brock. This is Pierre’s actual story of enduring the Holocaust. When I looked at the cover, I … More What if an atheist wrote about the Holocaust?
Well now all the hoopla is over. I made it through the surgery, the breast reconstruction. The wounds have healed, the pain is gone. But the bombardment of letters, cards, gifts, and homemade meals are gone too. I do miss that; it must be what it’s like to be a beloved celebrity. All that attention. … More My post-cancer life
I rarely go to Craigslist, but yesterday an ad caught my eye. “Free Toys Wanted.” The latent Santa in me was aroused, and I answered back that I had a few things I could donate. My son is grown up, so I was sure he would not miss a few random stuffed animals and board … More My Christmas Lesson
Any car salesman knows that once the customer has walked off the lot, he’s lost the sale. A savvy car buyer knows: always be ready to walk away. I did not realize that my best negotiating skills were necessary to maneuver through the process of mastectomy and breast reconstruction surgery. I was diagnosed with breast … More Am I having a mastectomy or buying a used car?
At 4:45 am, the Jogger Meister clods through the neighborhood, waking up any resident foolish enough to have his window open on a cool summer night. It is said that the Jogger Meister is ex-military, so he is used to waking up early and beginning his day. We, his neighbors, like to wait at least … More The Jogger Meister
Most of us decide that January is the time to get back on the bike and try again, but I held out until February. Well, ok, it took me that long to talk myself into it. Here in the Northeast we have been getting hammered with snow and cold-cold-cold temperatures. Who wants to get up … More I finally went back to the gym today
Okay, so it’s only a short story. In fact, it’s only 100 words. It’s an ultra short memoir. Some might also call it Flash. But it’s also a true story. My story. I was excited today open the mailbox and find my very own copy of the book, Reverie – Ultra Short Memoirs, collected by … More Finally, I’m officially published.
This is one of my first published Flash Stories. My friend drew the picture to go along with it. And yes, it really happened. I don’t have to make stuff up! ——————————————– Apartment Business Emma had forgotten to buy beer for Fred for the last time. “Bam!” A bullet rushed through the barrel of the … More Apartment Business
My mother-in-law has myloma, cancer of the blood. I take her for her Chemo treatment every other week. Remarkably, she hasn’t had the terrible nausea and vomiting that many patients experience. I’m very grateful for that. While we sit in the waiting room, usually we are held captive by the television which is spewing some … More In The Chemo Waiting Room
I have always felt, personally, that the gift basket is a cop-out. It’s one thing if you put a gift basket together yourself filled with favorite things that you know the recipient will enjoy. For example, a box with a favorite dvd, a box of popcorn and a box of hot chocolate mix might make … More Is that a hint? On gift baskets of soap and body wash
I wanted to find the thumb tack before my dog stepped on it. I was arranging my bulletin board and getting rid of the 2013 calendar when a thumb tack fell to the floor. I thought it was one of the white ones and assumed it would be easy to find on the carpet. I … More God and the Thumb Tack
The weather outside is frightful. If you live in the Northeastern US, this is not a news bulletin. Bailey is snug as a spoiled pup in my good blanket. He doesn’t like going out into the snow, because it gets his feet wet. You know how we hate to have wet socks, it feels yucky–I … More Bailey says, “Let it snow”
We don’t celebrate Boxing Day here in the US but supposedly in the United Kingdom, the upper class would “box up” their old belongings and give them to the poor. I suppose I could look it up on Wikipedia and then look it up on Scopes to see if any of that is true. Or … More Happy Boxing Day
I’ll be mostly offline for November! Chat soon!
When my son was young, I would get a $10 roll of quarters, take him to the arcade, and let him play to his heart’s delight. One Saturday I took him and his buddy Brian, gave them both handfuls of quarters and told them to come back when they needed more. They gleefully (is that … More Saturday Afternoon at the Arcade
Last night, I tried out our brand new German-made iron. We were very careful not to buy “made in China” and there were no American-made available. So go with German Engineering. Martha Stewart doesn’t live here; as you know I have kitchen disasters on a regular basis. I don’t do well with domestic chores, or … More The Great Iron Meltdown
SueAnn Porter 