A series failures taunted me as I walked from the courthouse to my car. I’d been dismissed from jury duty. Not even a calculating attorney with a frivolous lawsuit had any use for me. I even failed to get selected for jury duty! I scolded myself. Even though jury duty wasn’t exactly voluntary, to me it was more evidence that whenever I tried something new, I failed. In my estimation, I was surrounded by evidence of continual failure. A marriage that didn’t match the fairy tales, … [Read more...]

They say you remember trauma more acutely than pleasure. If the memories of my first high dive experience are any indication, it’s true. I was in fourth grade. No one made me do it, but it looked fun. Something akin to flying. So, in my least favorite faded-red swimsuit, I leapt to my near-death. A nanosecond after my limbs smacked the water, my head throbbed with pressure of chlorine water forced up my sinuses. I remember “rearranging” my swimsuit while I was still ten leagues … [Read more...]