Five Minute Observations

Tag: love

  • Which Direction Leads Home

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in

    Once, a long time ago, I had a friend. He was someone who I knew didn’t agree with me on, well, pretty much everything, including politics. He called me an idiot for believing the way I did, and it was people like me who made it harder for people like him to give away money,…

  • You Look Happy

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in

    A running friend saw something in a grocery store I had yet to name.

  • A Life in Common

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in

    Love looks like staying. You choose not to say the thing that hurts because today? It’s not the right day. You choose patience, telling yourself that giving out grace is best. But like it or not, a marriage, or even a church, often ends long before the final, resolute goodbye. There’s no shouting. It doesn’t…

  • Love Wins

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in

    I keep messing up with my words. But maybe that’s the point. Love wins when we stop talking and start living it.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

  • Say It Out Loud

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in

    Healthy relationships start when we learn to say what we actually need instead of hoping others will figure it out.

  • Stories That Actually Last

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in ,

    Why your posts disappear but your actions last forever

  • Three States, One Car, Zero Plan

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in

    By Joe Class III Picture this: It’s past midnight in Dublin, California. I’m eighteen years old, driving in circles like a lost tourist. Except I’m not—I’m basically homeless, living out of my four-door brown Datsun with a souped-up 280Z four-speed manual transmission. Terrible life choices, I know. Less than two weeks earlier, I’d blown up…

  • “You Are a Symbol of Resilience and Strength”

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in

    A man loses his son, mother-in-law, dog, job, and marriage in 2022. A fortune cookie’s message about resilience initially stings but eventually guides his transformation through storytelling.

  • Built Ford Tough

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in

    Forty years ago, Ford Motor Company developed a slogan, ‘Built Ford Tough,’ highlighting their quality, durability, and strength. GenXers like me were bombarded by the message. We didn’t have a way to stop its assault. Either you pressed the magical mute button, or you turned it off. But one thing was clear. Ford trucks were…

  • Communication = Love

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in

    “Ugh! My freaking bank, Marcus! Sheesh. Why can’t they get things fixed?” “What is it now?” Marcus asked, glancing over the top of his laptop screen. Marcus was a screenwriter for Netflix, trying to develop a script for a pilot television show. The cursor was angrily blinking at him, not that it mattered much. He…

  • Don’t You Forget About Me!

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in

    TIME OUT! Social media is the place we go when we want to see what’s up, what’s new, and what’s next in the lives of our friends and family. It’s where we find out what Aunt Brenda ate for dinner last Tuesday. Instagram photos show you unique places with amazing people, many of whom you…

  • Scouting for a Video Project

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in

    A thick layer of dust coated a covered loveseat. It wasn’t the only piece of furniture in the room. There was a stack of uncovered chairs, a massive table covered in a canvass-like material, and three candle operas atop the covered table, the candles themselves melted down to the base of each holder. It didn’t…

  • You Don’t Know How It Feels

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in

    Walk a mile in their shoes. See what it feels like. So, first of all, eww, no. That’s gross! Second of all, what about all the athlete’s foot possibilities? Yuck! It’s like putting on bowling shoes – even though I know they spray them with disinfectant. It’s just, well, your feet. (The sarcasm is strong…

  • Stop Using Platitudes!

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in

    “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…

  • Ghostbusters Interrupted

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in ,

    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…

  • Moving Day

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in

    Empty. Empty and quiet. I hated it. Then again, I was just a kid who absolutely hated quiet! I loved being around people, all kinds of people. The older the people, the better. At eight, adults were way more interesting than kids my own age. But right now, it was just our family. Me. Dad.…

  • Suzie’s Coffee Shop

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in

    “Right, right, right.” “Are you just agreeing with me?” “Why on earth would I do that?” “Um, I don’t know? To mess with me?” “Why would I want to mess with you?” I’d never seen this woman dressed in capris with red heels, a crème colored blouse, pearls around her neck, and a full-length thinly…

  • Your Words Count

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in

    Words matter. Like more than you thought they did. Wrong words can do irreparable damage for however long you have left of your life. Kids don’t know what words have the potential to do by uttering the simplest of words and phrases. The more you think about it, the more you start to understand how…