Sometimes I lie awake in the middle of the night, thoughts tumbling through the darkness. Sometimes an uninvited notion enters my skull.
You, too, might share this uncomfortable realization.
I recently published a short story. It’s titled Skeleton Forgiveness.
You can read my very short work of fiction by clicking here.
There are moments when this world seems suddenly, inexplicably transformed.
New light.
New perception.
New understanding.
A short story came to me yesterday while I sat in Balboa Park across from a splashing fountain. My eyes were resting on the broad scene.
So many people, engaged in every sort of activity. So much humanity. And at the center of it all, that everlasting fountain.
Shimmering and shining like magic.
I took out my pen and wrote down a few inspired words.
They might form a short story, or they might form a poem–I’ll let you decide. Read it here.
I wrote another short story. This one is titled The Firefly.
It’s about regret and redemption.
And hopelessness and release.
And hurt and freedom.
If you’d like to read this small work of fiction, click here.
I read touching words this morning during a short walk down University Avenue in City Heights. A poem was painted on one side of a utility box; images of a father and son’s love decorated other sides.
The beautiful street art and its poem were about growing older, and wiser, and coming home.
…
I’ve finished writing another short story. A Steep Hill is about an old man who undertakes very difficult journeys near his home. If you like, you can read it here.
Children at a private school in San Diego applied chalk to a sidewalk, reminding people walking by of the importance of kindness.
This simple wisdom makes our lives much happier, and more meaningful.
…
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
This morning I wrote a short story titled One Thousand Likes. It touches upon the human heart, the pleasure produced by facile happiness, and the dark, isolating effect of social media.
To read it, click here.
Whenever I forget to look closely at the world, I miss the hidden beauty. And the unexpected inspiration.
These photographs were all taken today at the Japanese Friendship Garden in Balboa Park.
This special garden’s breathtaking beauty has inspired several very short stories. I wrote A Short Bloom, The Child and the Koi and Waterfall Tears while sitting quietly by the stream that bubbles through the canyon.
I hope these photos–these small scenes of beauty–inspire you, too.
…
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
Do you love Balboa Park? Follow my special blog which I call Beautiful Balboa Park!
Do you enjoy beautiful things? Visit my other photography blog which I call A Small World Full of Beauty.
Here are seven posts from Cool San Diego Sights that might touch your heart. The following links contain powerful memories. You’ll find sadness, joy, hope, and much inspiration…
9/11 Firefighter’s legacy: Two Sons and Stickball.
A heartwarming Christmas tradition in San Diego.
Art by creative homeless provides purpose, hope.
Combat veterans create art to bring hope.
Quotes from the Tony Gwynn public memorial.
Students interview veterans for USS Midway exhibit.
Gratitude expressed by random people in a park.
…
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
I’ve made a couple of cool changes to my website! Now it’s easy to enjoy Cool San Diego Sights (plus my other blog Beautiful Balboa Park) in dozens of languages!
If you’re viewing this page on a computer screen or large tablet, you will see a Google Translate button near the top of the sidebar, on the left side of your screen. Select your preferred language and everything on the website will be instantly translated!
If you’re using a smaller device, like a smartphone, click those three parallel lines up at the top of this page and the sidebar will open up. Google Translate should be the first thing you see.
What else is new?
I’ve added buttons to my sidebar which make it easy to follow Cool San Diego Sights on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Tumblr! I only update my Pinterest and Tumblr pages every few months, but if you’re on those social media platforms, you might want to check it out!
As always, please feel free to share anything you happen to find on any of my blogs. It’s all for fun!
By the way, I just finished writing a new short story for my Short Stories by Richard blog. It’s called The Silver of Ice. It’s based a bit on my own personal experience, when I lived on the high plains many years ago.
I’m going to Balboa Park in a few minutes to check out something that should be really cool. I’ll post photos when I get home!
Have a great Sunday!
Richard
How cool is this?
I was walking through the Fall Back Festival in the Gaslamp before it opened this morning and stumbled upon a fantastic community art project!
The project is called PostSecret, and it was begun in 2004 by an inspired gentleman named Frank Warren. People anonymously write down one of their deepest emotional secrets on a postcard and mail it in. The postcards are then displayed as public art! The project has already received over a million submissions!
The folks I met at the Fall Back Festival were representing the Museum of Man in Balboa Park. I learned the traveling PostSecret exhibition is coming to San Diego and will open at the museum on April 14, 2018! Residents of San Diego are encouraged to share their secrets!
How? Simply mail a creative postcard containing one of your written secrets to the Museum of Man address you see in one of my photos. Your secret can be absolutely anything–a regret, a fear, a desire, a confession–as long as it is true. You might make your postcard into a work of art, or simply write down a few brief words.
I’m mailing my postcard tomorrow.
You also have secrets to share, don’t you?
…
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
Cool San Diego Sights! 