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From My Back Porch
It’s wonderful, the clarity you get when you awaken in the middle of the night and yet don’t open your eyes. I woke at 4:51 this morning. I know the time because I squinted at the clock with the red letters on my bedside table, then tightly closed my eyes again, trying to sink back into the rapture of sleep. It didn’t come. I was wide awake, screaming wide awake in my mind, while my body was fighting to return to repose.
I remembered the dream I was having just before I woke. It was a dream about trying to maneuver our rather large car through a tunnel that had many twists and turns and oncoming traffic! Somewhere along the way I got stuck, couldn’t go ahead nor back up. That’s when I woke. Life is like that sometimes. You can’t go ahead and you can’t back up. You just have to wake up and chart a new course, hopefully not down a one way tunnel!
The next thoughts were about a photo I need to shoot for a brochure about a river cruise business. I could see the boat steaming along with perfect clarity and several smiling people on the aft deck waving to the camera. One girl with a big smile on her face and wearing red, was waving like mad, as if she were greeting a long lost school girlfriend. The other three or four people were smiling indulgently, as if they were self conscious about being in my mental picture. The image came to me in a flash, complete, absolutely perfect for the brochure, now I just have to figure out where I can position a camera to capture that scene with the boat, the smiling people and the lush riverbank in the background. Ah, another problem that will take hours, possibly days to record, all from a fleeting mind shot!
Reluctantly my body began to move enough to get me sitting on the side of the bed. Once there, it was no turning back. I eased out gently, so as to not wake my bride of 13 years and groped my way out to the spare room where I keep some clothes. Then to the kitchen to start some coffee, stumbling over the cat on the way. Her meows grew incessant diverting me from making coffee to giving her some cat food. Only then was I able to start the coffee. She reminds me we are here to serve others, cats in particular. And another wonderful day begins….
Published: Oct 12,2008 17:40
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Andy Cowan
Andy Cowan, an award-winning writer, whose credits include Cheers and Seinfeld, regularly contributes humor pieces to the Los Angeles Times and the CBS Jack FM Radio Network.
Paul M. J. Suchecki
Paul M. J. Suchecki has more than 30 years of experience as an award winning writer, producer, and cameraman. He's written numerous newspaper and magazine articles. Currently he writes, produces and shoots for LA CityView Channel 35 and his more than 250 articles for Ehow.com are approaching half a million readers.
Coby Kindles
Coby Kindles is a freelance journalist, screenplay writer and essayist. She has been a staff writer at Knight Ridder and a regular contributor to The Associated Press.
Debbie Milam
Debbie Milam is a syndicated columnist for United Press International, an occupational therapist, family success consultant, and motivational speaker with more than 20 years experience. Her work on stress management, spirituality, parenting, and special-needs children has been featured in over 300 media outlets including First for Women, The Miami Herald, Elle, Ladies Home Journal, The Hallmark Channel, PBS and WebMD.
Dan Rafter
Dan Rafter has covered the residential real estate industry for more than 15 years. He has contributed real estate stories to the Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Business 2.0 Magazine, Home Magazine, Smart HomeOwner Magazine and many others.
Jack Nargundkar
Jack Nargundkar has been repeatedly published in Business Week, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and The New York Times. He is also an author of "The Bush Diaries" published in July 2005.
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