Author: mslauraasmith

There is a saying, “If you think you are too small to make a difference, try going to sleep with a mosquito.” I am paraphrasing, but you get the idea. This has been one of the rainiest summers in the Berkshires and with the humidity and heat, our mosquito population is flourishing. They will not…

Coming home from vacation can be hard. Going from laying on the beach, bobbing in the ocean, eating homemade ice cream and sleeping in, to a quiet house filled with many to-do lists can be very disconcerting. What if every day could be vacation? I know I need to be grateful for the time that…

There has to be something magical about salt air. I go to the beach, filled with stress and I go back home relaxed and renewed. Maybe the salt draws out the negativity that gets stuck in our muscle fibers. Or maybe it is the fact that when we go to the beach we sit out…

They are just words. Allow them to linger on your lips. Luscious Cantankerous Lollipops Enchanted. The scratching of pen to paper, the clicking of fingertip to keyboard, the strike of each typewriter key imprinting the letter onto crisp white paper. Words have melody, whether written down or said outloud. Each sound unique; defiant or delighted, savage…

About five years ago I took a course titled Death and Dying at my Community College. The professor had us write one paper that changed my life. The assignment was to write out an alternate life. We could make up anything we wanted, be an alien living on Pluto, poor Pluto, or a rock star.…

My house is a mess. My cats have been redecorating as usual and my Siberian huskies have been shedding non- stop since March. I also have a teenager, enough said. This evening I decided to clean. My goal, the entire house, my finished product, half the kitchen and part of my desk. I am going…

Today the scariest thing was to stay in the present. I don’t like being there sometimes, unless it is a blissful moment. I wanted to hike up to Laura’s Tower and fully experience the journey, hear the birds, smell the moss, and feel the air as it gets cooler the further you go. It is…

I have been working at a children’s summer program this week, and it has triggered memories of myself at that age, 6 – 7th grade. One girl in particular I have found fascinating. I don’t quite know what to make of her, but I do know that I have to develop skills that she possesses.…