I’m energized by asking people I meet deep questions — I was fully involved with the birthday party at our next-door neighbor’s house. Many people from the neighborhood mingled inside and out, children played loudly in the yard, and we were about to eat the spectacular birthday cake I’d been waiting patiently to sample. What could be better on a…

For the week of 12/4–12/10 — I’m excited to announce our first Penny Prompt for the week of 12/4–12/10! Just a reminder that responses should be between 500–1000 words (roughly 3–6 minutes), and make sure to engage with a few writers while you’re here. We will receive submissions for this week’s prompt until midnight (US East…

A place to engage in meaningful and friendly banter with others in response to a weekly prompt — We at Parasol Publications are thrilled to announce our newly revamped publication, The Penny Pub! We are excited to take things in a new and fresh direction. We want you to consider The Penny Pub as though it were your favorite neighborhood pub, where you might swing by for a…

I’m learning it’s okay to prioritize myself during the holidays — My former mother-in-law rushed through the front door. Her glasses were askew, one of her cheeks was red, and she didn’t make eye contact with anyone. Two of her sons shared a look, then stood and quickly followed her into the kitchen to find out what was happening. The scene…

What we do leaves a trail of breadcrumbs to who we are — My wife and I love to watch football together, especially college football. She has a saying that I often hear and always appreciate. The phrase originated in volleyball, but she’s smartly co-opted it for use in any sport. When she sees a ref miss an obvious call that would have…

It’s still impacting my life more than sixty years later — Sitting in the back seat of our family car at age five, I was excited about my first trip to a fancy car wash. My dad and older brother were in the front, and I was busily sliding from side to side to look out the windows as we approached…

Selling our lovely suburban home and retiring early was a risk we were willing to take — When my wife and I traded our comfortable and secure home in a new suburban neighborhood for the adventure of traveling the country in a twenty-one-foot travel trailer, many of our friends thought it was a risky decision. …

When a mysterious woman rolled into The Bay, everyone wanted to know her story — The four-top under the front window needed cleaning, and it certainly wasn’t going to clean itself, so Marge headed in that direction. When she spotted the meager tip left by a group of high-maintenance customers, she rolled her eyes in frustration. A flash of green caught Marge’s eye, and she…

My traumatic Halloween affected my parenting thirty years later — Back in the sixties, Halloween was a big deal in my middle-class suburban neighborhood. These were the glory days when kids trick-or-treated with pillowcases, and no one talked about the dangers of allowing children to consume sugar. One year, when I was seven, my mother ruined my Halloween plans in…