.... Sweden for two years and I loved it there, I met different kinds of people and have learned a new language, which seemed so inspiring to me at that time. In my mind every human being seemed the same and I treated my friends equally. When I got back to my homeland, I couldn't wait to see my old neighborhood friends. It was like a dream come true to be home again. The next day I was able to enroll in the same grade as my friends and I couldn't wait to hang out with them once again. I went to my class and the teacher set me down with an old friend of mine. She didn't even want to look at me. I tried to explain who I was but she stubbornly turned around and whispered something t ....

.... of the bookshelf. Carrots, dulled from their natural bright orange to a clouded orange, bread, crispy and no longer fluffy littered the crevices between the open drawers. Too full with clothes, (clean or dirty I can't be sure) they protruded into the already limited open space. Accessories lost in the thick brown carpeting, necklaces, earings, barrettes and more strung out from end to end of my room. Fallen pushpins in the bed from the cluttered bulletin board above, suspended by one thin wire, swaying with the slightest breath of air. An overwhelming stench, sweaty tennis socks, last night's dinner, or the mildewed plant, I couldn't figure out where it came from. Spi ....

.... Someone sitting by the bed, holding a hand, passing time with idle conversation, or just being there, can often be as beneficial to recovery as some of our fancy medicine. Friendships are strengthened in hospitals. They are watered and fed in our corridors and rooms and in our cafeterias and chapels. We find friends in many ways, but we often solidify our friendships in adversity. During illness we see the real caring and concerns of others. Being present during the adverse times often permanently bonds humans together. Of course, not everyone can maintain friends from our childhood as I have been able to do. People are mobile, they move from city to city or merely ch ....

.... my great size, I crush nothing I touch. I always had one problem in my life – I’m always lonely. I was looking for Mrs. Right for centuries with no luck. I want to have family, infants at my nest, and duties to do. I can’t live alone. My solitude is killing me. The worst thing about being phoenix is that I’m born to be male once, and then the next time I resurrect I’m female. When I’m in state of being male I’m Ho and when I’m female – I’m Oo. Though I know that I’m the only phoenix on the earth, I still hope and pray that I will find my soul mate and live happily ever after. People who know legends about me say I’m the Bird of Paradise ....

.... the blue and green ones. As I search the deep inner recesses of my mind for inspiration, I let my eyes wander around my ever blinking room. Dave Letterman is staring at me with one eyebrow raised. Sandra Bullock is looking at Guido, who's right next to her. She has a giant knot in her hair. Amniotic fluid is being dumped onto a beautiful dancing girls head. Mr. Manson is squating down, his half naked self-mutilated body glowing red under my lights. His arm is reaching out at me, trying to pull me into his twisted Willy Wonka world. I close my eyes and concentrate, leaving my ears, my nose, and my mind to do all the work for themselves. Realizing the stenc ....

.... a week. This would make him the highest paid player in Europe and accelerate him to the top of world football. He was due to meet the manager on Monday to discuss the terms of his contract and if all went well he would sign for Milan and fulfill his dream of being a star footballer and also make his wife Sharon very very happy. Sharon was a gold digger and was after Joel for his money, but she did stick by him, they had been married for two years and if Joel got the contract Sharon would be able to move to Milan and have everything and have everything she desired. So obviously she was very determined to see this deal go through. After arriving at the hotel J ....

.... of the unfortunate loser. Realizing that the odds of me emerging alive from this mess weren't very good, I began to think of a strategy that would enable all my major organs to remain intact. I decided to use humor to defeat this barbaric beast. I must have ridiculed and made fun of myself over 200 times. I told him that even if he passed out, in a full body cast , and suffered from leprosy, he still could wipe the floor with my feeble body. I told him if he didn't disfigure me, that I would offer to be his own personal reusable toothpick for as long as he wished. Violence and nonviolence are two very effective ways to solve problems, but for people like me ....

.... suspenders, on this bright morning he had chosen a crimson red pair. Covering his stooped shoulders was a worn blue sweater, the color made me think of cornflowers. Navy and dirty white canvas sneakers adorned his feet. His white sock could be seen through a gaping hole in the sole. These shoes had taken him to many different places. They were like an old friend that he couldn’t say goodbye to. On this particular day the sun was shining down, warming the earth and lake, so many children played on the wooden swing set. From where I stood on the path, I could hear their cheerful shouts, but could not see them. What I could see was the old man’s face. He had stro ....