Consider this scenario. Your child is six and they want a puppy. The idea of having a dog is not foreign to you. You had one growing up and quite enjoyed it. You understand your child’s wish, but you think it’s a trope, a fleeting desire shared by millions of children around the world. SoContinue reading “The Beagle Among Us”
Author Archives: kristininholland
Talk About What you Read
I recently read that discussing the contents of a reading passage with others can give you new insights into the text that you might not have realized on your own, increasing your reading comprehension. Although I came across this information in an IEA publication about developing reading comprehension in elementary school students, I think thisContinue reading “Talk About What you Read”
Water and Chapels
Last weekend, my friend Anna invited me to go swimming in a canal near Anna Paulowna. I knew she and her husband went to this semi-secret spot on a regular basis, and I jumped at the chance. We drove through the countryside until we came to an area where the thick stalks of river grassContinue reading “Water and Chapels”
Bubbles
Have you ever had that experience where something in a novel crosses over into your world? I’m currently reading Autumn, by Ali Smith, which was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2017, and I had one of those crossover moments today: All across the country, there was misery and rejoicing . . . AllContinue reading “Bubbles”
When the Lights Went Out
It was a typical Friday night. My son was gaming online with friends, I was reading–in this case Raynor Winn’s The Wild Silence–and Schagen’s city center just three hundred meters away was anything but silent. The restaurants and bars were filled with people, the pleasant hum of their conversations wafting through our windows as ifContinue reading “When the Lights Went Out”
If you wait long enough
How do you get a teenager to talk? The usual questions—How was your day? Did you learn anything new—haven’t been so rewarding these last few years, and more often than not, yield curt, monosyllabic responses. I’ve tried other approaches, like sharing information I think will be interesting, or asking about the online games he’s playing.Continue reading “If you wait long enough”
The bully is leaving the playground
In the days leading up to the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election, someone shared a Republican slogan with me: Let’s make the democrats cry again. I actually found it kind of funny, and very much true. If Trump were to be re-elected, I would have cried again. In fact, when I woke up on Wednesday morningContinue reading “The bully is leaving the playground”
Getting your Wag on
I was folding laundry when I heard the front door open and close. My husband was already up–he likes to write early in the morning–so I figured that must be him taking the dog out for her morning walk. Then I heard the scrambling of nails on tile, the pressing of paws on the theContinue reading “Getting your Wag on”
SRAH hiring worldwide during Coronavirus shutdown
I’ve just applied to a position at Self Realization AH (SRAH), which is one of the few entities hiring during the Novel Coronavirus pandemic. It is part time, but if I play my cards right, it could turn into a full time, lucrative job. In these uncertain times, SRAH has made it clear that theContinue reading “SRAH hiring worldwide during Coronavirus shutdown”
50 meters
What if the manner in which you brought in the new year set the tone for the next 365 days? What would that mean for you? A year filled with drunken celebration? A year of sleep? A year of watching television? A year of partying in a club? A year caring for a loved one?Continue reading “50 meters”
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