Seeing

“Who’s that little girl over there?”

I stop buckling her three-point harness and look over my shoulder.

“I don’t know who you mean, babe,” I say. “There’s no one there.” I go back to buckling.

Her tiny, chubby index finger points straight behind me and into our backyard.

We are in a hurry, running late to the library’s story hour. It’s hot out. I exhale loudly. I turn my head again and then turn my body in a full circle to scan.

“Who do you see?” I ask.

She shrugs. She’s over it, as if this happens all the time.

From Guest Contributor Amy Bracco

The Lie

It is too easy to start a lie.

I tried for a solid year to start a regular exercise routine, but it just didn’t take.

I promised myself eighteen months ago that I would only drink three days per week, but that never came to fruition. My current goal is to make a bottle of wine last three days.

Lying, on the other hand, was easy. I didn’t have to think about it. The words just spilled right out. It wasn’t conscious. I didn’t even have to journal about it or set a goal for myself. I just did it.

From Guest Contributor Amy Bracco