Category Archives: True Stories I’ve Written

True short stories

I Flew Like Superman and Crashed Like Wyle E. Coyote

Posted on September 20, 2012 by russtowne

When I was 16 I worked at a restaurant. After a large wedding reception, a man gave a nearly full case of Champagne to the restaurant staff as a tip. We were all 16-18. Amazingly, I was able to ride, … Continue reading →

Posted in Humor, True Stories I've Written | Tagged bicycle, Champagne, crashed, flew, restaurant, Superman, Wyle E. Coyote | 6 Comments

Which Am I, My Friend?

Posted on August 3, 2012 by russtowne

I rarely make political comments on my blog or the blogs of others. It’s not that I don’t have political views—I do—but I find politics to be too often divisive and my focus is on being as inclusive as I … Continue reading →

Posted in Choices, Observations, True Stories I've Written | Tagged bridges, choices, divide, Facebook, Friend, loved ones, platform, political parties, politics, stereotypes, unite | 15 Comments

Duke and His Little Sister

Posted on August 2, 2012 by russtowne

This post started out as a comment on an earlier post, but I decided to share a revised version of it with all of you. My six year old Chocolate Lab is named “Duke”, which is short for “Duke of … Continue reading →

Posted in Dogs & Other Wonderful Creatures, Humor, True Stories I've Written | Tagged beloved, Cadbury, Daisy, Daisy Duke, dogs, Duke, Dukes of Hazzard, Sadie, Sean Connery | 8 Comments

A Bad Day at the “Office”

Posted on August 1, 2012 by russtowne

When our 21 year-old daughter came home from her park ranger intern job last night she looked physically and emotionally drained, and I became concerned. She came up and hugged me for a long time. I haven’t had a, “I … Continue reading →

Posted in Challenges, Parenting, True Stories I've Written | Tagged accident, capable, confident, daughter, emergency services, first responder, girl, heliicopter, hospital, hug, hugged, intern, little girl, mentor, park ranger, proud, spinal injuries | 27 Comments

Amma’s Surprise

Posted on July 29, 2012 by russtowne

Several years ago I accepted a friend’s invitation to go see Mata Amritanandamayi who is far more commonly known as simply “Amma” (which if I recall correctly means “Mother” in her culture). I apologize to readers of that culture for … Continue reading →

Posted in Choices, Gratitude, True Stories I've Written | Tagged adventure, Amma, Friend, honor, honored, hug, Hugging Saint, hugs, kindness, Love, Mata Amritanandamayi, surprise | 16 Comments

The Bond

Posted on July 28, 2012 by russtowne

I just finished writing a letter (the old-fashioned pen-and-ink kind) to a man who is about as different from me as two people can be. He got involved with drugs at a young age and began hanging with the wrong … Continue reading →

Posted in Choices, True Stories I've Written | Tagged baton, beloved, bodyguard, bond, bullet, drugs, Family, Friendship, hospital, jail, meth, police, police dog, prison, sacred vow, scars, Trust, wounds | 28 Comments

The Dreaded Couch

Posted on July 14, 2012 by russtowne

A recent post mentioned a married couple sharing a bedroom and in a comment an internet friend said something about being married for 28 years and sharing the same bedroom all that time. That got me to thinking about an … Continue reading →

Posted in Anger, Choices, Family "Fun", Forgiveness, Growth/Learning, Humor, LIfe Lessons, True Stories I've Written | Tagged angry, bed, bedroom, beloved, couch, disagreement, disagreements, motivator | 14 Comments

More Wedding Day Confessions (Sigh…)

Posted on July 13, 2012 by russtowne

Beloved and I were young when we got married. And we must have looked even younger than we were. I say this because when Beloved and I decided to stop at a motel on the way to our honeymoon location … Continue reading →

Posted in Humor, LIfe Lessons, True Stories I've Written | Tagged aisle, barber, beloved, disco, freeway, honeymoon, motel, psychedlic, relatives, VW bus, wedding | 3 Comments

Treasure Hunt!

Posted on July 9, 2012 by russtowne

I collect coins that are in my pockets at the end of each day, and eventually count and roll them. When our children were fairly young, I’d keep the pennies in a big brass antique-looking container that looked like a … Continue reading →

Posted in Abundance, Creativity, Family "Fun", Parenting, True Stories I've Written | Tagged beloved, booty, children, clues, goblet, kids, pennies, treausre hunt | 13 Comments

A Rite of Passage

Posted on July 8, 2012 by russtowne

Beloved spent many of her formative years on a farm and knew what it was like to work hard. I chopped firewood for my grandparents who needed a lot of it as it was the only source of heat for … Continue reading →