Morning Stories

"She's giving him the cold shoulder." Oh really? If he's a gentleman, he'll put his jacket over her shoulder. If. Or if that same shoulder is still cold, then an honest apology is probably in order. Not to the shoulder, mind you. To its owner.

Oh my goodness. Yesterday she walked into my life. Full sail ahead, without any barriers whatsoever.

A tossed-aside word must feel pretty miserable. Before it fell into the void, it was a word with meaning, with purpose — fulfilling a role in the system of language.

It took a few centuries for these small, sweet guinea pigs to stop being embarrassed by their name. Back in the heights of the Andes in South America, they were called something entirely different.

"That's just my opinion!" Well said. It's someone's personal view on... well, on some topic or another. Having an opinion is one creative thing. Releasing that opinion to the public is another wonderful thing that democracy has to offer.

Domino, in and of itself, doesn't go in for showmanship-effect. Because domino is the effect — the moment things start to fall. All it takes is a single tile as the trigger, and the wall begins to tumble. Really, you only need a modest construction, seasoned with a bit of imagination, to build something elegant and evenly spaced. And then the domino effect simply takes its free fall.

There are words that don’t go over well—especially with the female members of the global community. Words that male participants should never—let me repeat: never—blow into the world without serious thought.

No, not just one. There are thousands—millions—more who keep on doubting. How did that old saying go again? “He who doubts, thinks. He who thinks, doubts.”

Not sure if “teambuilding” is actually an abbreviation. But if it were, maybe it stands for: “Terrific—someone else does it.”

It’s astonishing what this group of imaginative teenagers keeps coming up with. Their sole mission each day seems to be driving every authority figure they encounter straight to madness. They’re true pubescent creatures — and will surely go down in human history as The Unruly.

“Oh boy! Cott the crap!” That’s how I used to understand the word boycott, at least when I heard it from an English-speaking mouth. And even clearer understanding dawns when the thing called a boycott actually takes effect.

“You’re not normal.” At first, it was meant as a mild insult. But what’s actually offensive about someone living outside the norm?

Sometimes it takes a while to get going. And when you finally do, a new sign appears on the long road of life’s journey: “Shift into reverse.”

Good grief – how inspiring were the boyhood years, when cowboys and Indians populated the black-and-white, tiny little television screen. When Colts were constantly smoking, the Bonanza Ranch hosted the first men's group home, and the giant John Wayne was busy cleaning up the Wild West. Good grief – how discoloured and yellowed this romance appears today. Isn't it?

The word “trust” belongs in the top tier. Not just as a sound, but as an expectation — a fundamental condition. Trust is the glue. The mortar. The invisible thread that holds a society together. And that’s why people are so careful about how — or whether — they give it. Or avoid it altogether.

Oh no—not again. A sentence that, in just two words, unites two languages. «Stau» is a dense German word for traffic jam; «big» is the large word in English. No, this isn’t a critique of the author—i.e., me—but merely an observation that, by the end of this sentence, turns to dust. Sorry.

Either it was a one-time thing, a two-time thing, or maybe it happened several times—but “former” just sounds sad. Because that means it’s over, gone, vanished, extinguished. No—ended. Was that really the idea all along? When someone, in a moment of careless inspiration—probably over a beer—blew this notion into the void and then into law?

Anyone who can count to ten has probably already got one foot in Zen Buddhism. After all, Zen is the heart of this philosophy of stillness. When a circle of people — yes, even round people — settles into a certain posture, they do one thing above all: focus on their breathing. In… Out… In… Out… So far, so breath-fresh.

Staying flexible when the rest of the content ages — that’s the challenge. Anyone over fifty who hears their bones crack and lets out a small groan when standing knows the value of Flex. But Flex is never satisfied with just one action. Flex is so flexible it switches on automatically — almost reflexively — whenever needed. Flex in the reflex, so to speak.

This feathered creature is barely known to the public. How could it be? The animal — or is it a bird? — is even more elusive than the thing in Loch Ness or the monster in the Yeti mountains. And indeed, it is precisely among such accumulations of rocks, valleys, and remote terrain that the Valley Duck nests and survives. That is, if it hasn’t flown off in search of food.

Walls are, by nature, rather unsympathetic boundaries. Those who build them rarely engage in open conversations. And when our thoughts keep running into walls, frustration quickly sets in.

The breakup didn’t go well. Zoom Out — that would be the proper term, at least according to any reasonably written lexicon.

“Be Quem.” An ancient Latin expression once shouted across Roman courtyards filled with warlords, feudal politicians, and pleasure-seekers of all kinds. Literally translated: “Help yourself.”

A day never has enough minutes to stay silent in thought and remembrance. To offer someone the quiet, respectful tribute they deserve. Silence is sometimes louder than any speech — or any scream.

My subconscious must have been busy last night. I fell asleep with The Boss — and woke up because of - the boss.