I’m not homesick these days, but I know what it feels like. Wanting to make everything simpler, to settle into that room that was always yours to sleep in, the wish to hear those voices that are so familiar even after so long being away. Not just the laughter but also the arguments, the disagreements, and the chores: everything is precious to you. I have a friend who is feeling homesick now. I hope she has a chance to go home and recharge her emotional batteries… we all need to do that sometimes. I hope I didn’t contribute to some …

Why does my body insist on waking up after exactly 7 hours of sleep? I am sick. I need a little more these days. Argh!

I don’t often remember by dreams, but when I do usually they’re odd. My sister once commented that of course, I even dream science fiction stories. This isn’t one I would actually write into a story, so I’ll blog it. I dreamed of my body strapped into a seat. The seat wasn’t connected to anything I could see, but knew I was in a craft, which was moving so quickly that it felt like I was perfectly still in it. My suit was comfortable, the room warm but not too much so. There was no music, only the whine of …

Shocks are always sudden, and while we often learn to expect a shock or two in life, we never see them coming. That’s why they are shocking. Some shocks are a passing thing: I know a young woman (a student of mine here in Jeonju) who was just dumped by her boyfriend. One day he told her he loved her, and the next he said, “Forget I said that,” and dumped her. I can’t guess why he did this, but I know that the girl’s shock is a passing thing, for she is very young and very nice and is …