Stories. Enjoy!

  • Start Here

    New to Five Minute Observations? Welcome. I’m Joe Class III, and I write stories and essays about what I notice, the encounters that reveal something true, and the moments that stick with you after they’re gone. If you’re just getting started, these three pieces will give you a sense of what this space is about:…

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  • “When God closes a door, another one opens.” “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” “Everything happens for a reason.” “God won’t give you more than you can handle.” When I hear a statement like those above, it makes me cringe. People BELIEVE these clichés will help! I wonder, will these trite…

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  • “And how do you know that?” Amber asked. “Do you have a picture?” “No. But Bud’s not a cowboy, farmer, or rancher,” she said, putting a finger down for each one of the things Amy liked that Jamie didn’t. “He didn’t wear cowboy boots.” Another finger down. “Bud didn’t own a massive rodeo belt buckle.”…

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  • “I’m so happy for you, Amy! When do we get to meet him?” “I don’t know. Bud travels for work, so he’s not around much.” Amy continued to play with the grass, imagining it was Bud’s hair. “But he’s coming home for a few days, so maybe we can get together then?” “I’m a maybe,…

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  • Sisters

    She wasn’t expecting to walk more than a quarter-mile uphill from where she parked her car on the gravel road next to a Volkswagen and beat-up Chevy truck. Jamie was too far from the city to get a signal on her cell phone. Lucky for her, the gravel road was the only one out this…

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  • Paying Attention

    “Squirrel!” Her shout took me aback for a split second because, like most of the things she does, this was uncharacteristically within her character. Her glasses teetered on the edge of her nose, face reddened from the abrupt scream. She followed up her exclamation with a few puppy-like barks. “Holy crab apples, Jules!” I screamed.…

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  • Like it or not, people born on this planet have a narrative. Everyone wants to talk. Some about an event. For others, it’s a task they finished or a budding relationship. Or maybe they just ended their marriage. Whatever it is, you will find someone ready to tell you all about it! And what is…

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  • “Where are you?” Are you like me? I try to keep to myself when I’m in public, especially when I’m at a coffee shop. I’m not a huge fan of Starbucks, but it was my birthday. An acquaintance I’m not all that close with handed me a $50 gift card and said, ‘Happy Birthday,’ in…

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  • I’m standing in line getting my morning coffee, and I see her. It was the same woman I saw a few minutes ago at Walgreens. A young woman stood behind the counter looking bored, chewing her gum and clicking her manicured nails on her left hand. Her right hand scanned one item at a time,…

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  • What Once Was

    Four runners passed him as he sat on the park bench, sipping his hot coffee. Jones chuckled, remembering the first half-marathon, a 13.1-mile race he completed twenty-three years ago, holding the cigarette between the fingers of his right hand, a small paper coffee cup in the other. He smirked, not because their form was off…

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  • Me and Jordan wanted to go see Ghostbusters. Will and Mikey? They just tagged along because they could. Heck, I figured, why not? It’d be fun. The four of us were always together at school, hanging out because our parents worked late. You couldn’t exactly call us latchkey kids like our GenX parents were in…

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