Do you remember the sock puppet commercial from the early 2000’s? I think it was for pets.com or some other internet start-up. A sock puppet with scraggly hair and button eyes would respond with the phrase, “the horror,” to many missives tossed at it. It was silly and cavalier and – most of the time – just perfect.
The sock puppet’s “horror” voice was in my ear in Continue reading
A rare evening of downtime last week inspired this week’s book choice. I hardly ever put on the tv but in doing so I happened upon the 2009 documentary “The Last Train Home” directed by Lixin Fan. This documentary follows a Chinese couple from Sichuan province as they travel almost 1,000 miles home to their native village for the 4 day New Year’s celebration; a trek made by almost 130 million migrant Chinese workers. The couple have made the journey for more than a decade to see their two children who are in the care of an aging grandmother. Aside from letters this will be their only contact with the children for the year.
At one point the mother’s total anguish is overwhelming Continue reading
What a week! It started with a minor hand injury that has left me with a few splinted fingers. At the funeral of a dear family friend – also this week — I had to duck a few crushing hand shakes given that the blow was to my right hand. My visiting mother-in-law queried me about how we plan to raise our children given that my husband and I hail from different faiths. Caught a bee sting today while watching our two little stars at a ‘mock’ swim meet. Did I mention that this was a family vacation week?
Amidst this swirl I read, Continue reading
Driving yesterday I heard an NPR story on WCAI, the Cape & The Islands (CAI) radio. They broadcast a show entitled “The Moth” which features audio storybooks of everyday Americans. Their first story really gripped me: an autobiography by Aimee Mullins, a young women who lost both of her legs at birth and has used prosthetic limbs ever since.
Ms. Mullins told a truly amazing story about her life and her various opportunities to touch the lives of others. One was a little girl who also had an artificial limb. At the time Aimee first met her she had been struggling. Kind of ‘just’ getting along – setting no great expectations for herself while locked inside the world’s limited view of her capabilities. Aimee inspired her to re-frame her expectations for herself and for those around her.
At a chance meeting a year or two later Continue reading
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