Fletch -- jcarolek

Fitting in has always been a challenge. Where others might consider I fit well, I was uncomfortable or unhappy, and where I felt I would feel comfortable or happy, I was, more likely, not welcome. I learned pretty early on that being anything but myself was a recipe destined to failure.

So it was that, as I set out for FSU that September morning with Dad, I was nervous. This would be the first time in my eighteen years on this earth that I simply could NOT just go home to the relative security of my little bedroom,

You are getting on my nerves! -- jcarolek

When I was 12, living in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, I had a small group of friends, with whom I spent every "free" moment. None of us attended the same school, because, at least in those days in England, children from the same neighborhood went to schools selected for them by their parents, not like the school zoning in the US. So, after school and weekends were really the ONLY times we had to play together.

In our group there were two boys, Simon Dean and Mike Poraj-Wilczynski, and three girls, Anna Gartell,

Peas and Onions -- jcarolek

When we were kids, WAY back in the 60's, and early 70's, we always went on family vacations by car. Our family of of eight loaded into first the 1958 Chevy Station Wagon, and later, the 1972 (I think) Chevy Station Wagon. Long trips and short trips alike were filled with the driver (always Dad) leading the passengers (well, Mom was "excused") in song. We sang songs Dad had taught us and we harmonized. And, for the most part, this kept general squabbling to a minimum.

As we got a little older, the singing did not necessarily occur as consistently, conversation being a viable option.....

As with conversation or dialog of any nature, interpretation by the receiving party is not always quite in sync

The tree -- jcarolek

In 2004 a huge tree fell across the path to my pond. The portion of the tree that actually lay in the path was the topmost portion. The tree, at least 100 feet tall, had actually been rooted on my neighbor's land. The portion of the tree that lay across the path was at least 20 feet tall as it WAS the top of the tree. I looked at this fallen tree and wondered how I was going to clear the way so that I could, once again, use my comfortable and familiar path to get to the pond.

I walked to the roots of the fallen tree and climbed up to walk the length of the tree, to get a feel for what I was dealing with. And I knew, without a doubt, this was not something I could tackle alone. And I had nobody capable of helping me, at the moment, so I did the only thing I could think of. I worked