Sparks Ignites

I’ve never been interested in “afternoon tea,” “high tea”, or any type of formal tea custom. To me, it was a group of older, dowager-like ladies with pinkies erect, pressed lace collars, and big royal-sized purses at their feet.  A snooty way to sip a spot of tea and nibble on tiny cucumber sandwiches.  The whole routine seemed stodgy and a bit grandmotherly.

Never just go by what's on the outside. You must dig beneath to find the real substance of what can be hidden by a pleasing exterior.

This September marks the 14 th anniversary of 9/11. The day when the world watched in shock as the terrorists attacked the US, destroying the World Trade Center’s twin towers, damaging the Pentagon, and crashing a passenger plane into a Pennsylvania field. This act of terrorism killed almost three thousand individuals, decimated New York’s Financial District, and left the country in panic and fear. It was a tragedy that resulted in the largest loss of life from a foreign attack on American soil and the greatest single loss of rescue personnel in our history. Time can help diminish the pain of a tragedy, but we “never forget.” The act of destruction, devastation and terror of that day is etched in our minds. It’s one of those horrible, defining days in our country’s history like the assassination of President Kennedy.   We all remember where we were and what we were doing when we heard the tragic news that planes crashed into the twin towers.

My partner had a business trip to New York City a few weeks ago. He was going to One World Trade Center for a meeting in the Conde’ Nast offices.   An impromptu get-a-way is something we both enjoy, so I was invited to go.   It was a great opportunity to visit the 9/11 Memorial Museum, and the “One World Observatory.   He made reservations at the Millenium Hilton across the street from the World Trade Center Complex. I pulled out my overnight bag and prepared to enjoy the city. I received a call from my sister who watches the news much more than me. She is a great source of late-breaking information including weather updates. I now refer to her as SNN (The Sister News Network). So, SNN calls me and asks if I knew there was a ticker tape parade scheduled for the day of our trip? Of course, I had not heard of the parade. I wasn’t aware of any recent major historical events   - no war heroes making headlines or astronauts returning from the I...

June 26 th , 2015 is a historic day for marriage equality and gay rights. I contemplate the news that gay marriage is now legal in all fifty states, and think about the changes I have seen in my lifetime. I remember being a child and hearing slurs and derogatory statements about queers and fairies. The harsh words instilled a belief in my impressionable mind, that being a homosexual meant you were mentally ill and perverted. The messages were clear; if you weren’t attracted to the opposite sex you were far from normal. People were persecuted for their sexuality. Men and women went into loveless marriages and led secret lives hiding their true identities. No one spoke of gay rights in my small town. All I knew was being labeled a fag meant being ostracized by peers, and you wore a mark of shame. At home, I felt secure and free to express myself. I had parents who were non-judgmental and loved me for me. I only felt different at school where I was harshly judg...

I believe that I am a fearless writer. I share my personal experiences, thoughts and beliefs. I’ve not been afraid to express my emotions. Self-expression is fundamental to writing. I am a man of my words Recently, I became concerned that my blogs about depression and mental health might shape my reader’s opinions of me in a negative way.   The more I thought about it, I realized that I had internalized the stigma that surrounds mental health. Stigma is defined as “a mark of disgrace or infamy.” The word bears a negative connotation and it devalues the person to whom the stigma is applied. While the conversation about mental health is receiving a larger forum, damaging misconceptions are widespread. According to surveys, there are between 42.5-46 million adults in the US that have some type of mental illness.   Statistics show that one in four adults experience mental illness in a given year. These numbers of individuals are all impacted in some manner b...

Unlike Joni Mitchell, I never use to look at clouds from both sides.   Clouds were always just up there, floating above my head.   I didn’t stop to notice anything upwards. I was too focused on what is in front of me. There is beauty in nature. That’s not something I needed to learn. I’ve always had an eye for photocomposition and how the simplistic arrangement of objects becomes art. I took a photography class in college and my focus was trees, plants, landscapes, and people. While I was framing the pictures through a lens, I didn’t value the sky as an individual canvas. It’s cliché to say “Stop and smell the roses,” but we really do need to stop and appreciate our physical world. View it with a creative eye and the sensibility of an artist. Look past the commonplace and see the environment as a composition of angles, textures, shading and contrast. As a child, I was always fascinated by light and how the sun changes throughout the day - the dimness of...