Category Archives: Lessons

When I was around 9 years old, I learned to whistle pretty well. And when I was 59, I learned I lost it. Really. My father was an excellent whistler. By the time my younger brother was 5 he was … Continue reading →

     When I was around 56, I encountered an alien. She looked human. She drove a big old American car like a human. But she revealed an out-of-world perspective that was as different from mine as silicon is from carbon. … Continue reading →

When I was maybe 5 or 6, my mother caught me playing with myself. I was sitting on the floor in the livingroom, behind a plush maroon easy chair, pants down and fingers busy. She told me not to do … Continue reading →

     When I was 15, I learned the value of a plan. We had just moved to Marin Country. We lived in an oblong-shaped house, which design included a long narrow hallway along one side and the back of our … Continue reading →

     When I was 6 years old I had my first political shock. It was the fall of 1956. The incumbent president, Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower, was running against a Democrat named Adlai Stevenson. We were paying a Sunday visit … Continue reading →

When I was about 5 I had a recurring nightmare. We were living in Glen Cove, New York at the time, number 24 on a dead end street called Leuce Place. When we moved in you could still see the … Continue reading →

When I was 7 years old I saw my first sad ending. I didn’t get it then. Still don’t. We lived in New York state at the time, on the north side of Long Island, in a town named Glen Cove. … Continue reading →

When I was maybe 4 or 5, I started to understand dreaming. The girl next door was a year or two older than I, beautiful, and kind enough that I imagined we could be best friends. Looking back now I … Continue reading →