There are more than 283 million cars in use in the United States. Inside that gigantic number are more than 60 car makers and 1,200 different models. But only about 10 paint colors are used, and more than 70 percent of all those cars are black, white, gray, or silver. What do all these numbers mean? Great question. It’s not something a humble writer allergic to math can answer. I can spell “statistical probability,” but that’s about it. But I know from experience that there’s a near certainty that most of us will have a close encounter with our car’s identical twin. It’s just a matter of when and how. My first “when” happened over a decade ago in an […]

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By Gwen Rockwood, newspaper columnist and mama of 3 The closest I’ve ever come to getting into a physical fight happened when I was five. I sat at a round table coloring pictures alongside a few other Kindergartners. We were told to share the small pile of colors our teacher placed at the table’s center. But then one kid — there’s always that one kid — decided she wanted the red crayon all to herself. She wouldn’t share it even for a few minutes, no matter how much the rest of us needed it. It was the first time I remember feeling what might be described as outrage at social injustice. I stared at my coloring book picture of Rudolph […]

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The first backyard skirmish between Charlie and Pete happened five years ago on a night with a full moon. Charlie is our beloved beagle mutt who is now 14 years old and missing a few teeth. Pete is a trespassing possum who’s been trying to drive Charlie crazy for years. This puppy-possum war isn’t personal. Charlie and Pete are just doing what dogs and possums do. Possums lurk around at night, sometimes in places where they’re not welcome, and beagles sniff things and bark. If you’ve ever known a beagle or any other hound, you know they have a distinctive bark that’s mixed with a bellowing, baying quality. An experienced beagle parent knows that sound translates to “Come quick. I’ve […]

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Words are hard – much harder than they used to be. It’s a symptom of middle age I hadn’t heard about until it started happening to me. A few more aches and pains? Sure. Crow’s-feet and laugh lines? Okay, fine. But now Father Time is taking my words, too? That’s a step too far. I’m a writer. A certified word nerd. I thought I was safe! This situation is a – um, what’s the word? Disaster. The inability to quickly say the word you’re trying to say has a fancy medical name. It’s called “anomic aphasia.” Some people describe it as a “tip of the tongue” sensation – when you know the thing but can’t say the thing. The experts […]

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Once every five years or so, we get a new television. Sometimes it’s because we actually need one – like that summer when a lightning strike electrocuted several of our appliances. But most of the time, it’s because Tom starts reading about the incredible picture quality on the newest TV screens, and he just can’t stand it anymore. He needs to see it for himself. It happened again earlier this month. I tagged along to Best Buy to make sure Tom wouldn’t bring home a TV that’s only a half-inch smaller than our entire living room wall. He has always been careful with money and is a shrewd negotiator. But everyone has their weaknesses. And if Tom met a savvy […]

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My favorite character of all time isn’t in a literary novel, a blockbuster movie or a TV show. He is, in fact, a cartoon beagle named Snoopy. I assume you know him, too, right? I met him before I could read. When my brother and I were little, our friend John would often come over on Sunday afternoons. His parents and our parents were friends, and we all went to the same church. We are what I call “heart family.” John was 5 years older than my brother and 12 years older than me, and we adored him partly because he entertained us while our parents were doing boring, grown-up things like mopping and taxes. The first thing John did […]

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This morning, I stirred the white powder into a steaming mug of Earl Gray tea, watching it scatter and swirl like a freshly shaken snow globe until it melted from view. The powder is unflavored, but I added a generous dollop of honey so the tea would feel more like a treat and less like a treatment. But who am I kidding? Lately, everything feels like an attempt to counteract what time is trying to do to me. That white powder is collagen, which I bought because it’s high in protein. Now that I’m in my early 50s, caring about protein is the new job I didn’t apply for but got stuck with anyway. I could walk around all day […]

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If you’re not feeling delightful this December — often called “the most wonderful time of the year” – you’re not alone. It’s been a hard year for millions of people in many ways. You’re not required to fall in line with the holly jolly hustle of the season. But maybe these four simple words I read recently in a Katherine Center novel will give you the same surprising lift they gave me: “Sometimes things get better.” Simple, right? But if your brain, like mine, is hardwired to assume a worst-case scenario, that single sentence can feel like a revelation. Doom and gloom don’t have to be the default position. When you allow for the possibility that things can get better, […]

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I’m good at some things — like making a paper projectile out of a straw’s wrapper, swatting a fly with one targeted strike, and quoting lines from reruns of sitcoms. Thanks to excellent teachers, I also have a few academic skills, like knowing when to use “who” or “whom” in any given sentence and where apostrophes should and shouldn’t be. But I know my limitations. And if you see me at a grocery or retail store, you should walk the other way. Because I can promise you that once it’s time to choose a check-out lane, I’ll pick the wrong one — every single time. I don’t do it on purpose. I try to find the best option by slowly […]

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I really do love words. For me, they’ve always been like magic. As a shy kid, I felt so fenced in by fear of nearly everything, but putting words on paper set me free. No pressure, no time limits, no judgment. Most of us spoke our first words within a year of being born. And every single year, we learn more of them. This year alone, 200 words and phrases were added to the Merriam-Webster dictionary. As cool as the new words are, the most powerful phrase is one you’ve heard all your life: “Thank you.” This two-syllable saying does so much vital work in the world yet doesn’t get nearly enough credit for it, probably because it’s upstaged by […]

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