Life As I Know It

"So what did you buy?" – I asked. I found myself accompanying a friend to return some unwanted items. "This" - and she proceeded to pull out a Bad yellow version of a cashmere sweater. "It’s… It’s… … … What where you thinking?" "I’m not exactly sure… it seemed like a good idea when I bought it." "And then?" "And then I put it on…" I laughed. "You know what I wish?" She said sighing. "What?" "I wish all things in life were returnable… like men" And I laughed… Shopping can bring instant gratification. Buying something new, something you like, brings happiness to any dedicated shopper. Instant gratification. The beginning of a relationship, or getting to know someone, has the same effect. But try it on for size, walk a mile in the shoes, try to zip up the dress and you might find yourself sighing and facing disappointment. In shopping if you lose your heart to something that is wrong for you, you can...

“Love is like a game of poker. You have to know when to “all in” and when to back out or else you’ll lose everything.” My friend read from the back of her Starbucks cup. “That’s funny” “What if you don’t know how to play poker?” “You don’t know how to play poker?” “No.” “Then you “Go fish”’ And we laughed as we discussed the rules of poker. Later that day I got to thinking about relationships. When it comes to falling in love you cannot approach it cautiously. It will not wait for you to arm yourself. Love, like gambling, has risks involved. In fact Love might be the greatest of all risks. Maybe that’s why some people thread slowly through life. Avoiding the closeness risk brings. Never taking chances out of fear of losing everything. Never realizing that by not taking those risks they lose their chance to win at love. “You should never gamble what you’re not willing to lose” Someone told me that once. No one should gamble away their opportunity at love. But there are those who risk lo...

It is with time that you learn that it’s the friends that listen to you complain when you call at two in the morning, because your thinking about how much you hate him, the friends that are willing to sit through your “memory box” of old letters, gifts, and pictures and cry with you, and the friends that sit through a conversation you’ve had 10 thousand different times before and not complain that matter. So there we were in the middle of what seemed to be a tradition now. My closest girlfriends and I together, at my house, after one of them had suffered a recent heartbreak. That’s what we did when one of us was in need of serious wallowing. We surroundeded ourselves by our remedies of heartbreak. Chips, chocolate, pizza, champagne, lemon and pickles. And of course assorted pints of Häagen-Dazs, And we talked and talked till there were no more words to say. Or till the pain was overpowered by laughter or serious heartburn. And then we watched a movie. A good classic movie that reminds ...

There it was their whole story down to one box. A box full of pictures, CDs, memories, and gifts. When she was done gathering all the things that belonged to yesterday she thought long and hard about what she was to do with it. When a relationship ends it’s a ritual to remove all things that remind you of him/her. Many people frantically gather their things and or even burn them. They bring down the pictures, remove all the gifts, fold away all the memories, like if by removing all the physical objects they could do away with yesterday. But does it really make a difference if you have that box hidden under your bed, collecting dust, or it being far away at a landfill, becoming dust? Can you really throw away yesterday by simply removing all the things that remind you of it? Or do we kid ourselves by thinking its easier to forget this way – after all… isn’t healing a process? She didn't want to forget, put it past her, like it never happened. She'd rather not pretend that song ...

They say that when you truly care about someone you have to be willing to let them go. Allow them to find their happiness even if it means losing them forever. ****** It’s never the right time to say goodbye. But it’s time to end the story. Sign it and place it on the shelf- her friend said. They were eating lunch and talking about an inevitable ending. Can you ever take it out to read it again?- she said sarcastically No, never mind you should burn it- she said. And they laughed as her heart sank deeper and deeper. ****** When you’re young you think you have an idea of exactly what love is supposed to be. It isn’t till long after that you realize just how much more complicated it all is. But still we all march in blindly willing to take the risk. No one knows the outcome. You can’t. You just have to hope that the love you have for each other is enough to overcome it all. Still sometimes, all the love in the world, all the most wishful thinking, and all the ink of a pen cant rewrit...

“Shopping is a woman thing. It’s a contact sport like football. Women enjoy the scrimmage, the noisy crowds, the danger of being trampled to death, and the ecstasy of the purchase” -Erma Bombeck Mix in Prada hand clutches, Manolo Blahnik Satin pump shoes, Valentino silk pencil skirts, and anything vintage… and a woman will smile. Add “On Sale!” to that sentence and a woman’s in heaven. With the beginning of every season come new wardrobes, new inspirations, and new reasons to move last season’s items to the back of the closet. So the thought of passing up your favorite store sales is simply unheard of. No one can resist the temptation of shopping during the period of sales and the effect is often influential. Regardless if you are a certified shopaholic, a designated shopper, or just in need of some retail therapy, sales will make women march into a sales war. A serious shopper isn’t over worried about looking the part on the day of sale. You dress as com fortably as possible realiz...

The following piece was requested: What began as an unforgettable weekend soon turned into a reality check. It is true that once in a while we find a person who we think is everything we want. But it’s also true that just because that person is everything you’ve ever wanted that that doesn’t necessarily mean it’ll be a perfect match. He arrived around noon on Friday. When she went to pick him up from the airport her day dreamer side was excited to see him. She looked at him, he looked at her. And it was a friendly connection. He was charming, and amusing. Everything she thought he would be. There was no denying it. She felt like she’d known him for years. She didn’t have to pretend to be someone else. She felt comfortable and at ease around him. To her it seemed to all be going well. Until the night before he left. They were sitting under the starlight night immersed in conversation when she asked him if he’d enjoyed himself. He said yes and that it was really good to see her. He said ...

The following piece was written almost 3 years ago when my grandmother passed away… With every step, with every stride, with every mile that passes by I more than wish, I pray, that I will one day be able to fill her shoes… She had over 50 pairs of shoes. But in a white box, inside, covered in cloth, were her favorite shoes of all. They were a bit out dated, but any girl could appreciate their beauty. These were no ordinary shoes. They were the shoes she wore when she got married. Beautiful heels, with a hint of silver, diamonds, and straps made of silk. Gorgeous, exquisite and out of the ordinary. Cinderella would be envious. I was four when she let me try on those heels. Of course my tiny feet seemed rather to swim in the shoes, but I was so proud to be wearing them it did not matter. My grandmother laughed at the clankity clank that echoed in the room as I tried to walk in those shoes. I remember looking up at her, my face was filled with joy, I felt like a grown up being able to r...

The following story was requested: Maybe the Scarlet O’Hara in her didn’t let her see what was always there. And just like Scarlet she realized the truth when the end was inevitable. She knew of him for oh so long. He’d always been there for her through the good, the bad, the ugly. His loyalty to her was unconditional. He waited for the moment when she might look his way. But that moment seemed to take too long. "There’s something I have to tell you. Something I’ve been wanting to say for so long. " "Well wait. I have to tell you something too." "What" – he said excited "I think Im in love. Okay maybe not in love. But I realized I really like this guy." "Oh really? What’s his name?" "Christian " "Oh" - he said defeated That night she went on to tell him all about her new found interest. One she even recognized was impossible but that no matter what, she longed for. And he, he never told her what he had planned to sa...

The following piece is a story written about a funny conversation a friend of mine had, i chose to write it in first person to add enfasis... enjoy: “I feel his pain” My friend said as we sat on the bench after a long run. “What?” I said puzzled. “I said I feel his pain” “Who’s pain?” “That kids!” She said pointing to the group of boys on the baseball field. “Why?” I asked “No one’s gonna pick him watch” I looked at what she was pointing and sure enough there was a group of kids about to play a game of baseball. Each captain was choosing the players. One by one the kids lined up, till the last one standing was the boy. He looked with hopeful eyes to one captain than the other. Realizing all positions had been filled, he shrugged his shoulders and slowly began the walk to the bench, where he sat slouching down, resting his chin on his hand. “See!” she pointed. “No one picked him. I’m like that kid. Alone and unwanted.” I laughed, “Why is that?” “The first time I met Joe I thought he was...

“Miriam!” “Yes!” I turned suddenly to see my friend with her hand on her hip “Aren’t you listening to a word I’m saying?” I smiled a crooked smile and said “frankly my dear… no” “Ah! What is wrong with you”? “Nothing” “Yes there’s something wrong. We just passed Neiman’s and you didn’t even glance.” “Oh, did we? When?” “Somewhere in between… what’s with you? I sigh one of those horrible sighs that reaches into your heart and makes it skip a beat “I don’t know. It’s a mixture of hormones or my past reaching into my present. My present making me feel jaded, my future being a blur. Or the lunch we just ate that gave me heartburn. Take your pick” She laughs, “You need serious shop therapy and I know exactly what will do the trick” so she swings me around and we head straight to the vintage shop I love. She drags me through the rows of 1950’s dresses, art deco pieces, and old tacky furniture. I drag my feet through the store not showing interest in anything. I’m having one of those days wh...

The following short story is dedicated to a dear friend of mine who taught me that forever is the time you make infinite… Goodbye. That’s the last thing he said to her. Goodbye. She hated goodbyes if you ask her what she needed… she’d say she needed more hellos. But all she got was a goodbye. A finale, a conclusion. The end. TAN-TAN. Like the notes at the end of a Mexican song that tell you to applaud. But after years of farewells, I’ll be seeing you’s, and until we meet again moments she’d learned there was no point in being picky about farewells. You were fortunate, more than blessed, if you got a goodbye at all. He was leaving to a place where she could not follow. Where phones, and computers didn’t exist, only memories and old photographs. After they said goodbye she got in her car, and just drove. She felt like driving, hitting the open road, never looking back and never getting anywhere. So she just drove, as she bit her lip trying to hold back the tears. She was facing the sunse...

Long ago I did a couple human interest articles; I was able to interview extraordinary people with wonderful stories. This is one of my favorites : Friendship is a gift everyone is able to give and receive. True friends are loved for their qualities. Their minor faults are overlooked. I think it began when I asked Mrs. Louise who her best friend was. This was her story: “I met my best friend when I answered a local add. Her name was Irene Herrera. She was in need of a roommate and I was in need of a home. I remember the first time I met her. I walked up her porch and noticed a small sign posted over the doorbell, and index card that read in simple block letters BELL. For the truly moronic there was an arrow. She opened the door and she had a big smile on her face as she welcomed me in. She had a wide face and long red hair piled up on her head like she’d done it in a hurry. A pencil and a pen were sticking out of it. She had an old deep green kimono patterned with dragons, a big white ...

I was 5 when I realized that tag was one of my least favorite games. I was in junior high when I realized guys never stopped playing tag. I was in high school when I realized you could get hurt chasing someone. Tag required running after someone that you never quite knew if you could catch. When played with boys it was even more challenging. They were sneaky and too fast for my taste. The minute they were a grasp away, they’d change direction and be gone in the blink of an eye. At times “you’re it”, at times your not, but when you spent that amount of time running the pursuing became a hunt. I was sipping chamomile tea three weeks ago when I realized I still hated tag. When you are older and a game of tag is what “He” has in mind, then you might as well stop running, sit down, grab yourself a soda pop and let him come to you. It’s cute when you’re five to chase someone; it’s a child’s game then. But if you’re in your twenties and older and he’s still playing tag well it’s simply that- ...

The worst thing about NOT being in a relationship is having to give advice about love. I love my friends and if there's something I can do to help. I'm the first one there. But at times having to give advice is a bit draining. Especially when you have to give advice about something you never followed. It reminds you that at some point that's not something you believed in. And that if you had maybe there would have been a different outcome. But there I was on a roller coaster, of all places, when my friend turns and looks at me and says "What do i do? What would you do?" "Scream" I said. She says "Why?" "Because we are about to drop" She looks down and realizes it. And we scream. When we get off, she realizes I haven't given her any advice so she asks again. I look at her and say "Love is a bit of a roller coaster. Sometimes you're up and laughing with giddiness. At times you are down. Screaming inside, holding your stoma...