I had just finished a 30-minute, job-related mish-mash questionnaire of 50 hypothetical scenarios—the results of which were supposed to magically reveal what kind of a person I “reeeeally” was. I answered honestly and felt pretty good about that. Then someone, who’d never met me before, came in, pulled the questionnaire, […]
Beth Caldwell – The View From Here
To contact Beth, email her at caldwellandcompany@gmail.com
There is an old story about a writer who goes to his teacher and says, “Teacher, all the stories have already been told. There is no need for me to write. “Everything that needs to be said has already been written.” “It’s true that there are no new stories,” the […]
The last sunset of August hovers on the horizon as I write this. If you really want to know how fast time flies, watch the sun set. In the time it takes to realize how beautiful the purple-hued light is, reach for the camera, and turn back to the beauty, […]
I came home Monday night to 12 C in the house and so turned the heat on, crawled into a wool sweater and sweat pants, and had a cup of tea for breakthrough chills. I hit the shower soon after that, and turned red like a lobster as I cooked […]
I have so much to write about and yet I don’t know where to begin. How do I priorize four weeks of great summer adventures and memories? How do I pick which life byte gets the top spot in this space? My writing cup runneth over. Above all else, I […]
First of all, I wish I could say I invented the title of this column, but I did not. I opened the cover of the August edition of “O, The Oprah Magazine” and there it was in an “IKEA” ad. Sometimes my themes cook up that way, like instant potatoes, […]
There’s a downside to throwing all of myself for months into a passionate hobby like sailing. Nothing else around here gets done. The grass grew eight inches, and dust settled in thick layers on windowsills and end tables—reminding me of what an abandoned house must look like. The laundry was […]
If I would have known ahead of time exactly how it would all play out on Saturday afternoon, I’m pretty sure I would have chosen to stay safe at the dock and polish the stainless steel screws on my sailboat. But that’s not what boats are for, right? June 16, […]
Well, folks, I can sail. Yes I can. I raised my own mainsail and my own working jib and, as forecast, headed out for my very first sail on my own sailboat last Tuesday (June 16). It was a defining moment in my life. Granted, I did have a consummate […]
By the time you read this in the newspaper on June 17, I will have left the dock on my own boat, raised sails by myself, and used the wind as my journeyman. That most awesome event happened after work last night (June 16). But I’m writing this on June […]
My sailboat still remains in my yard on a trailer—far from the wind and waves. The grass growing underneath the boat trailer, which I cannot reach with the lawnmower, grows tall and thick. I now lament each day that I watch it grow unfettered because it defines the one more […]
Since the moment I made the decision to buy my sailboat, I’ve dwelt a lot on what defines me as I sought out a name for it. I’ve brainstormed names, picked one, then another, and second-guessed them all. It’s been nearly a daily think-tank for three-and-a-half months. However, I’ve made […]
