whew! Story Time Sunday May 19th 2013

Dear friends of the unreal —

Sometimes reality bites. This has been a hard month for us over at Magically Real HQ, culminating in an auto collision, that has left us scared but safe. Thank goodness at these times for family, friends and strangers. Family members — biological and choice-ical — who send cards, show up on the doorstep, or just let us know they are there and tell funny stories about television and offer to bring us ice water. Thank goodness for friends who — amazingly– appear on the road when you’ve had a major collision, because they happened to be passing by. The artist Adam Berg was that person, crossing the wreckage to ask if we needed help. Then there are the strangers who saw the car wreck from a bus stop, and who came over to get a license plate number and get a trapped driver out of his side of the car. Who in a very real way bore witness. And an LA cop who was efficient and kind. It happens.

Because sometimes it’s reality that is magic. Not a magic that overcomes all that is bad. That would be something else. No, this is more like a small version of the Force. Let’s call it a force. A force for good.

I believe that it is our duty as writers to serve a force for good. I am honored to share this nonfiction piece, about a journey towards a small degree of good forcefulness. I dedicate this piece to my babysitter, Miss Spicer. I never knew her first name. But she listened to my stories and she liked my first poem. She got the ball rolling. May her memory continue to be a blessing to all who knew her.

“Conversions”