Morning Stories

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” That’s one of those classic questions adults ask children — often right in the middle of a sandcastle project. Most kids freeze when they hear it.

Some words are so loaded with emotion that they practically hum when you speak them. Barely have the first two letters appeared around the corner, and entire worlds of feelings are already in turmoil. Associations, it seems, have a power of their own — wild, uncontrollable, and often irrational.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been at war with the word stupidity. Not because of the word itself — a word is just a word — but because of how it’s used.