Barbara Swander Miller


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Honoring the journey—then and now

  • I confessed today

    It was the trip to the retirement home that triggered it. Mom had been feeling a little punk lately, so I got her an 18-pack of variety Gatorade. Rather than carry the awkward box and a shopping bag upstairs and across the wing to her apartment, I decided to use one of the cute mini…

  • Writing camp deadline!

    Hats pulled snug down over their curly, straight, blonde, dark, red hair, the writers scratched and scribbled in their notebooks, filling them with graphite and ink, painstakingly selected–or not– most legible, some barely- mapping out worlds on, above, and below where their feet tread. Soon, plots emerged from five squares, mountains, and lines of time…

  • Was it ever so simple?

    It’s Graduation Season: I see my former students and colleagues as I make the rounds to a few select open houses- of those daring, outstanding students who braved sending an invitation when they know it’s not my thing. “Are you glad you’re not teaching anymore?” “Oh, yeah. Things are so different. Even in just a…

  • Am I overthinking again?

    After one month of dedicated effort, I am no longer a member of my local fitness facility. My pickleball fanatic friend took me as a guest to a new place in town a few weeks ago to enjoy the walking track. We chatted and walked, forgetting the number of laps we made around the balcony…

  • “I yam what I yam”

    But Do You Have to Be? Remember Popeye? The 1920s sailor cartoon character that Robin Williams brought to life from the comic strips and cartoons for a new audience? With a can of spinach in hand, he often delivered his trademark phrase, “I Yam What I Yam.” In the feature film, Popeye sang about his…

  • Thank you, Black Keys

    On the days I dwell in the land of CanDo, just doing things I can do and do do most of the time, my feet slog along, heavily weighted by boring, everyday brown muck. When I venture into the land of MaybeICan, my feet sink into another kind of gunk: Orangey-brown, chartreuse sludge made from…

  • Can it get any better?

    A long weekend getaway! Traveling on the spur of the moment! Being invited to hang out at a friend’s Air BnB! It’s all so exciting! But the getting there can be the pits. My expectations were high starting out this afternoon. Traveling in and out of Dayton International Airport is so easy. It’s not much…

  • I'm not much of a gambler

    But in the garden, I’ll take my chances I’ve never been one to depend on chance. The craps and roulette tables never tempt me as I pass through a smokey casino on a cruise ship. I scurry along to avoid smelling like cigarettes when I emerge on the other side. I learned gambling didn’t pay…

  • We’re having a little party on Saturday

    I’ve got to get ready Even though they won’t be coming, I feel my parents nudging me. I kick into Dad mode. Make a list and assign chores to anyone who is standing nearby or is expected to be standing nearby in the coming hours. Used to be that was my kids’ seasonal horror. “You…

  • What if your brain never turned off?

    It might result in a book! What if instead of just chillin’, your brain kept running possible scenarios? What if it never stopped asking questions? What if it constantly generated ideas to improve your day, or work, or life? Or someone else’s? My brain is like that. At night, I often toss and turn until…

Barbara Swander Miller

Honoring the journey in everyday life

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