David Louis Stanley
Bio
Educator.Poet.Author.Writer.Voice-for-Hire.
Husband.Father.Friend.
Thinker of thoughts who gets stuff done.
Melanoma Awareness Advocate.
Three books in print.
Never miss a chance to do good.
I write sonnets.
I’m bringing sonnets back.™
Stories (30)
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It was Fifty Years Ago Today
It Was Fifty Years Ago Today… June 26, 1971. Fifty years ago, I stood at the front of Temple Beth El as a Bar Mitzvah and led our congregation in prayer. While I had Rabbi Gerald Schuster for back-up seated behind me, the bima was mine. Read the prayers for Shabbat. Read from the Torah, offer a d’var Torah (think of a homily- an explication of a current event based on the week’s reading), lead the closing prayers, and offer the blessings over wine and bread before the luncheon. It’s a big deal, the Bar Mitzvah, whether you’re 13 or 73, and you’re glad when it is over.
By David Louis Stanley5 years ago in Longevity
"Enough," said Dex
TRIGGER WARNING: Gun violence, self-harm and suicide, kidnapping, discussions of violence. “I have a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark and I’m wearing sunglasses…Hehehe…plus, a bottle of Jager and a couple pre-rolls of Marley Natural.”
By David Louis Stanley5 years ago in Humans
A letter in Fall, 2020
A Letter in Fall from Michigan October 2020 It is fall here in southeast Michigan; the awesome mitten. You can hear the leaves crack off of their branches as they succumb to gravity and the lengthening of the night. It’s mostly maples taking a dive at this early juncture in late September and early October. Next up will be the magnolias, to be followed by the 300 year old oaks that mark the corners of my backyard.
By David Louis Stanley5 years ago in Humans
Ask About the Money
Ask about the money. Let me tell you a story. I was a high school science teacher: 8 years’ experience, age 49, M.A. in Education, B.Sc. in Zoology. I liked my job: good school, well-supplied lab, good admins, terrific counseling staff. I was also a coach. I had the freedom to do nearly anything to engage my students; internet integration in those nascent days was not welcome in every school.
By David Louis Stanley5 years ago in Lifehack
Beggars; can we be choosers?
There is a strip mall five miles from my house which houses several of my favorite stores-Bed, Bath & Beyond, Target, our grocery, my hair cutter Sharon at Supercuts, Petsmart – and for the last few years, whenever I pull out of the complex, I stare into the face of the same beggar.
By David Louis Stanley5 years ago in Confessions
A Day to Do Nothing
I like a schedule. I like making lists. I have a master list to track my lists. It’s tangible. As a writer, tangible stuff makes you feel like you accomplished something, even if that something is little more than scrolling through your works in progress or editing some stuff so that it doesn’t suck quite so much.
By David Louis Stanley5 years ago in Motivation
A Letter in Spring
It is March 3, 2021, here in my corner of southeast Michigan, the Great Lake State. It’s been sunny and windy these last few days: 15-20 mph, gusts to 30. March has come in like a lion, albeit one with sunshine over its shoulder. This odd predilection for leaning on fauna for assistance with our weather prediction is problematic. Groundhogs on February 2nd notwithstanding, I am doubtful that one’s adoption of animals leonine and ovine to guide meteorological prognostication is useful. I speak as a man with a degree in zoology
By David Louis Stanley5 years ago in The Swamp
