humanity

For better or for worse, relationships reveal the core of the human condition.

Seattle
Seattle 11/01/20 written by Thomas Lowry We had planned the trip to Seattle three months earlier. It would be our first vacation as a couple and we intended to pack in as much fun as we could over the course of a weekend. We would leave after work on Thursday and return on Monday morning. We chose Seattle because it was close to Vancouver; the dollar was good then, and there we things to see. Friends had ranted and raved about it so much that we decided that we should go too. There were so many sights they like the Space Needle, Pike Place mall, the Original Starbucks and so on. There was also a show on the Saturday night, an artist that neither Emma nor I had particularly strong feelings for, but a show is always a great thing to take in, especially in a foreign city, in a foreign country. I was excited for the coffee shops, the EMP and to explore the city that sparked one of the most influential music scenes of all time. Emma was happy just to take it all in. Emma is one of the rare people who are happy just about anywhere doing anything. Her zeal is rooted in her attitude, which is almost without bias. She doesn’t really ‘pick and choose,’ if that makes sense. While I’m definitive in what I like and don’t like, she doesn’t take part in such kind of prejudicial thinking. She refuses to put things into boxes to form an opinion. She isn’t a simpleton, not by a mile, she is just a special soul that doesn’t put much stock in what other people think, and in doing so she frees herself up to appreciate things on a much deeper level. Back when we were first dating I showed up for a dinner wearing a red sweater and purple socks. I can’t remember if I was trying to make her laugh or if I had just run out of clean socks but she looked over my ensemble without judgment. She smiled, and just seemed happy that I was there and that we could spend time together. Some girls might make a mental checklist of such a fashion blunder for future reference, but she really didn’t care. That kind of superficial shit just doesn’t bother her. At all.
By Thomas Lowry5 years ago in Humans
Broken Bonds
Facebook notification.. I thought a blast from the past. My ex who moved when we were 13 has requested to follow me. I felt weird, I had not heard from him in about 23 years. I looked at the notification and put my phone down. I was at work, chatting away with a colleague. At 13, I was so in love with him. I wondered about him often but never found him over the years and gave up. Here he was in my notifications though. I didn’t accept the request until the next day. Surprisingly, about an hour goes by and I get a message that says “ So you’re going to accept the friend request and not speak?”. I laughed and spoke. He then messaged me back saying “ So you in a relationship, married, talking to anyone? I’m asking for a friend.” I reply back “Nope, single and content”. So we start chatting away. After the first conversation, it turned into multiple conversations. He told me he was single but had a “stalker” which was none other than the mother of his youngest kids. He then asks me if I had any kids. I tell him I have a daughter. At this point he tells me, “ I have a team”. I said “say what?” He says, I have 7 kids. Most people would see red flags! Not my dumb ass, I continue to talk to him. We discuss regular things and he mentions the mother of his youngest 3 is the stalker, and she’s pregnant. I then don’t believe any of what he’s saying. So he has some of his friends confirm the facts. Of course, I questioned it given they were his friends. We talk everyday for hours on end. After maybe 2.5 weeks he asks when can we go out. I tell him we can go out when my daughter goes out of town to visit my brother. We both get excited as the day approaches. By this time we are planning what we are going to do. We decide to go out for some drinks maybe dinner and catch a movie. Friday night we talk all day. It was nice to reconnect. Atleast that’s what I thought at the time. We say good night and end our call that evening. Around 1:30 a.m. I start getting random calls from his #. I missed the first one, cause I was cleaning my house. Then the second one came in followed by text messages. The messages came with screen shots, and memes. Which really through me for a loop cause they started like this “ Why you wanna meet my n****?”, “Meet me hoe!”. At this point I’m like yup, dates officially cancelled. Then I get notifications that someone is trying to message me from someone’s phone I’m not familiar with. These messages read “ Baby, you not gone believe this dumb shit”, “Please pick up the phone”. So I pick up and he tells me, the mother of his kids, swiped his phone while he was dropping the kids off. He then explains that she took the phone and ran out the house with it. He’s insisting I come pick him up right away. RED FLAG # 2. I tell I’m my daughter is still in town and I don’t want ANY part of what’s going on right now. As we are on the phone the “stalker” is driving back up and he tells me he will call me back. I get several more calls throughout the night but I don’t answer. Early the next morning he calls me again from another phone and explains that she hit him with the car and the cops were called the previous night. She also ran over his phone to prevent him from talking to me. Yet, he’s still saying we are going on our date. I tell him, that’s highly unlikely because the last message I received from her assured me I wouldn’t see him at all. Meanwhile, I was headed to the meet up spot where my brother and I had scheduled to drop my daughter off. As I’m heading back home I get more messages about how bad he wants to link up this evening and continue with our plans. The problem is his stalker went everywhere he went. I would get random messages throughout the day about his location. Around the time I decided to really dead the situation he asks if I could pick him up from a gas station if he had someone drop him off. I tell him I could and make my way to the gas station. I pull up and he’s sitting in a truck with someone else I knew from school. He hops in my car and we drive off. With all the craziness going on, we decided to just go chill with my cousin and his friends at a house party. I text my cousin for the address. Before heading that way we stop at the ABC store for some liquor. As we are driving we discuss further through details of the previous night and how he managed to get away. I tell him she acts like they are still together and he assures me they aren’t. He then tells me she cheated on him with a guy from their job and that’s the father of her baby. We stop at the ABC store and get what we want. I then put the house party address into my phone and we head to the party.... TO BE CONTINUED...
By NecolC5 years ago in Humans
Dear___,
Dear _____, "You have been through a lot." What a common phrase to start off with on a letter, right?! Typical I know. What kind of letter is this you ask?! Is this even a letter?! Well as you read on you can be the judge of that. It's a different type of letter, but it is meant to be for myself, to family, to the love of my life, to friends, to past friendships and anyone else who needs or wants to read this.
By Min5 years ago in Humans
Comatose
Dylan Macnamarra, a passive writer with a strong willed wife and vibrant child ponders how his decisions face their present and future, while pointing toward some disastrous events for the future.
By D Flowers5 years ago in Humans
The Winter Prince
Chapter One Have you ever felt so isolated in the world even though you’re surrounded by family and friends? I may not be the most popular person but I have two incredible best friends and parents that love me more than anything. Although they really don’t know me at all. I have been keeping a secret from them since the beginning of summer. I have the ability to bring back the dead or at least save them from the brink of death. I’m afraid that if I tell them they will think I’m insane and lock me away.
By Nicole Lytle5 years ago in Humans
Angel On a Bender
Angel on a bender Dear god she was at it again, fleeing from life, facing it all alone, getting caught with her hand in the cookie jar, and looking for her desires in all the wrong damn places.
By Jessica Taylor5 years ago in Humans
You Are Not Your Persona
You Are Not Your Persona Who is it you think you are? What? What is it that you believe to be true regarding your traits? Think about the time you were a baby -- when you could remember. Now, think about who you were as a teenager (if you aren’t one currently). Now, think about who you are now as an adult who has been through so many of life’s lessons. The experience you’ve gained along with the knowledge of things you never knew before. How have you applied that experience and knowledge to your life?
By Michael5 years ago in Humans
This side of 60!
This side of 60. The conversation of aging can be very tense for people. In my opinion, people my age, 60 years of age, or in that vicinity, have grown up with very specific attitudes around what it means to be a certain age, and what kinds of behaviors are appropriate at this age. The problem for me is that I totally believe that old adage “age ain’t nothing but a number”.
By Stephanie Baker-Jones5 years ago in Humans
Brown Water
Today I decided to sleep in a little late. I planned on doing two of my neighbor’s hair at home and going to the studio to create some amazing music with my cousin. Yesterday was a busy day. I did laundry, cleaned, and then cooked dinner with one of my neighbors. I fell asleep at her place and came home at 5am. There are several stories and realizations that I could share based on yesterday, but when I initially got up I was starving. Of course, I knew all the food I cooked downstairs was still there, because for some reason after I cook my appetite never really kicks in until long after I’ve finished.
By Kendell K. Lee5 years ago in Humans
A New Beginning
About three years ago I graduated college and I left for Hawaii with plans of being there for about a year. I went to the Big Island, Kona specifically, to get my 200hr Yoga Teacher certification through Konalani Yoga. The lessons they taught me there are things that will stick with me until the day that I die – and hopefully after. I am forever grateful to them for those experiences. However, the training only lasted three weeks, so after I planned to work on a farm on the Big Island for the rest of my time. Well, unfortunately this was around the time the volcano erupted and kept spilling lava for months, so the farm I was supposed to go to was evacuated. Thankfully no one was injured, but that means I had to find another plan. Sure enough, one door closes, another opens; and the leaders at Konalani were gracious enough to invite me to do an extended work study for a few months based on the effort I was putting into the meditation and asana training during the certification course. This was a dream come true to me, studying yoga more in depth in Hawaii of all places! There was only one roadblock…I had just started a relationship with a wonderful woman named Kat and we were two months into this wonderful, new thing when I had to leave for Hawaii. Now, anyone who has heard and experienced the term the “honeymoon phase” of a relationship knows about all the hormones (love drugs) running through system and knows those feelings are very powerful. So, my time in Hawaii was a bit bittersweet; being at one of the most romantic places on Earth with your new loved one thousands of miles away stung to say the least. After training I spent a week on Oahu to explore and see if I couldn’t find some waves to catch (I didn’t have much success), and with most of my money gone I bought a ticket home for Texas to move in with my lady.
By Sam Capo5 years ago in Humans
Behind every great man there is a great woman... or what?
There is an old saying, «Behind every great man there is a great woman.» I will neither argue to destroy it nor try to prove it right. I'd like to look at something else first — at how women use this idea and why.
By Tirathiel5 years ago in Humans
Arena Of Life
The wagon carrying Durus and the boy came to a halt at its destination. The boy gazed in wonder at the house before him. Like all Roman villas, it was a large house with white defensive walls surrounding the perimeter. The only entrance to the villa was a gate between the walls. Durus stopped the wagon. From where the boy sat, he could see only parts of the grounds. In the center of the forum, which was built before the house, stood a large fountain with a statue of a mighty warrior dressed for battle. Gold was painted on the helmet, armor, and shield of the warrior. By his side was another statue of a wolf; it was magnificent and fierce-looking. Both the warrior and the wolf stood with grim silence-- as if they were waiting for their next opponent.
By Pax Victoria5 years ago in Humans