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Life is Short
A Twenty-first Century Myth “Life is short,” we mutter as the calendar flips through these dark December days heading to another year. We believe our time on earth is brief, but that assumption doesn’t correlate with twenty-first century reality. Aside … Continue reading
I am Not in Charge
Its December 2021, an inauspicious year if ever there was, save one personal milestone. I have gotten further along in achieving last year’s new year’s resolution than ever before. What was my resolution? “I am not in charge.”’ At first … Continue reading
The Graffiti in our Minds
Spirits of anguish past and present are my companions as I tromp the carpet of dead leaves. At its peak, Metropolitan State Hospital, Massachusetts’ last and largest institution for mentally ill (built 1930), held 2,000 patients behind its Georgian Revival … Continue reading
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Tagged graffiti, mental health, mental illness, Metropolitan State Hospital
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Understanding the Language
As part of my remembrance of my friend, Phil Saviano, who died on November 28, I retrieved this stream of memory I wrote after our trip to Mexico in 2000. I decided not edit it; even as some of the … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged immigration, Mexico, Oaxaca, Oaxacan crafts, Phil Saviano
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Smoky Bar Man
A Tribute to Phil Saviano, 1952–2021 Front page, above the fold, in The Boston Globe. Feature length obit in The New York Times. Segments on major outlets—nationwide. I have only one friend whose death warrants such a blanket of coverage. … Continue reading
Giving Thanks (Despite Our Faults)
Thanksgiving. Crisp leaves underfoot. Stinging fresh air. Roasted turkey. Glutinous stuffing. Fruity, creamy pies. Frantic airports. Family around the table. Football. Horns of plenty. Pilgrim pageants. The national folktale of our collective well-being. A day of gratitude. Last year, two … Continue reading
Who is My Neighbor?
I’m confident there’s something greater than us out there. Not a deity that directs our daily lives: that abdicates our individual responsibility. Nor something fashioned in our own image and likeness: that’s simply a narcissistic failure of imagination. I believe … Continue reading
$1.37 of Giddy Happiness
As a first order approximation, the amount of money a person spends is a good reflection of how sustainably they live. It’s not an exact correlation—environmentally negligent junk food costs a lot less than locally-grown produce—but the ratio tracks well … Continue reading
Death of a Family?
October 28, 2021 It’s after midnight. I cannot sleep. I rise from my thrashing, flame on the computer, and spill my thoughts. My sister-in-law is lying in a hospital bed, 2000 miles away. Body temperature lowered to 75 degrees. In … Continue reading
A Member of the One Percent
(No, not that One Percent) There’s a new crop of one-percenter’s in our nation. Not the one percent who hold ninety percent of the wealth. Rather, a distinctly different group. The one percent who hazard to ride on public transportation. … Continue reading
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