An unexpected bright spot In March 2020 I went to a beauty salon and got a haircut. I never thought that now, a […]
Category: Chapbook

The Chapbook tradition arose in the 16th century, when small printed books became affordable for people. They included almanacs, children’s literature, stories, pamphlets, poetry, and more.
Your Good Life introduces a 21st century version of the chapbook available free online.
Readers of Your Good Life are invited to submit a 500 to 700 word story. You may either type your story directly in the box below or copy and paste the text from a Word document into the box and click “Submit”. Publication will be subject to editorial approval.
A Jog Down Memory Lane
A good memory to share While reading an article about Elaine Pagels, renowned scholar and author, a memory kept dangling at the edge of […]
Growing Up As An Only Child
Memories shared and experienced This story is based mostly on hearsay. My mother told me about the kinds of things I did and […]
A Year Like No Other
Each of us manages the hand we are dealt. It’s a stretch to think of anything good derived from the COVID-19 pandemic we have […]
The Year I Turned 12 Years Old
An eventful time in my life The year I turned 12 years old is very fresh in my mind because there were several very […]
Thoughts on My Year in Isolation
Looking back on a rough time. When I first heard about COVID-19, I told myself that except for losing so many near and dear […]
Association of Ideas
An indelible memory I guess I must have been about 7 or 8 years old because my twin brothers had been born already for […]
A Day in Todos Santos
A special place After an hour driving north from Cabo San Lucas on highway 19, we arrived at the quiet town of Todos Santos. […]
I Got My Second Shot
So Happy Today, 9 Feb. 21, I received my 2nd Pfizer vaccine shot. I was told that I would be immune in […]
Where Has He Gone?
A lament. WHERE HAS HE GONE?The man who swept me off my feet.The man who made me feel secure.The man who listened to […]
COVID-19 Vaccination First Dose
In the words of one of the first to be there. On Jan. 19, 2021 I received my first of two vaccine shots […]
A Place Called Home
It’s a place. A dot on a map—metropolis, village, city, town, and it has a name. A name that is as different as there […]
Oops, I thought it said…
Our perception can play tricks. I drove on Fall Creek Parkway twice a day for ten years passing both ways under a railroad bridge […]
A Gift at Christmas
There is hope. Call it what you will…fate, karma, coincidence—-for me, it’s that unexplainable power of God, the Holy Spirit, working to help me be […]
From Wolf to Woof
A talk given at the Indianapolis Women’s Club. Dogs are surely man’s best friend, and dog history goes back generations. While each individual […]
Abide in Awe-Filled Attention
After reading an article written by Lynda Smallwood entitled “Opportunity Still Knocks” on the website of www.yourgoodlife.org, I was inspired to write this story […]
An Island Tour
A rare gem revealed. Should your travels include landing at the Seattle airport, do yourself a favor and go to Bainbridge Island, a paradise […]
Where Did I Go on Vacations As a Child?
Vacationing in the fifties. My vacations as a child (age 2-14) consisted mainly in visiting my grandmother and a couple of aunts and uncles in […]
Inspiration
An 88 year old with no prior experience in art shares his work and his story I have been asked to explain why I […]
More Memories
One of the best times in our lives. The following has nothing to do with Rochester itself, but we were there on November 22, […]
Rochester NY Back Then: Scrambled Memories
1962 a new experience and a rich opportunity. Rochester, New York has been in the news of late in relation to rather violent events. […]
Katrina
The American Red Cross responding to need. They knew it was coming. Satellites broadcast images as it crossed Florida on August 25 heading into […]
The Poet Within
We asked a poet, “why”? Here is her reply. LORD BYRON As a child, I loved the nursery rhymes Mother read to me and hymns, […]
Recommended TV
For your viewing… I highly recommend the British (originally on BBC) series “Call the Midwife” that was aired in the United States on […]
A Lesson
An act of kindness and a lesson learned A lesson for today. Many years ago, I was transferred to Forrest City, Arkansas. (named after […]
Miracles Really Can Happen
One man’s appreciation for the gift of sight. Being born the youngest in a family of four boys is not the best place to […]
It Took an Eagle Eye
An article from the Associated Press was spied by Marion Harcourt who then shared this story with us at “Your Good Life”. A […]
A Lifetime of Love and Saved Haircut Fees
Most “home” haircuts are one and done. This one lasted a lifetime. Back in August of 1962 Rosa Maria and I got married in Mexico […]
Opportunity Still Knocks
A late baby boomer or early generation X speaks to the generations that have preceded hers. This is a heartfelt tribute to you […]
More Widow Lessons (Part 2)
As time went on, I learned, how to buy major appliances, get estimates on home repairs and acquire cemetery lots. All this happened while […]
Widow Lessons (Part 1)
When my husband and I were married in 1955, I expected I was going to be a traditional housewife. (Husband bringing home the bacon, […]
A Long Overdue Family Reunion
Families may lose track of each other, but bonds in this family were kindled thanks to an unusual name. This is a story […]
A Moment Can Last Forever
Who knew that a moment, seemingly insignificant, would be indelibly imprinted for a lifetime. It was just a poem, words on paper. Yet it […]
Try your hand at…
Writing a Chapbook story can be fun. Since you are checking out this week’s Chapbook, it is likely that you find this feature worth […]
Hagia Sophia, a Missed Opportunity
Sound advice from an experienced traveler. In 1994 Art and I traveled to Istanbul Turkey. We spent a week in the city, I attended […]
Boom !
Seventy-four people were killed and nearly 400 were injured at a “Holiday on Ice” show in Indianapolis on October 31, 1963. Here are the words […]
The Last Goodbye
The times we live in stir emotions. Reflection: “See ya Monday!” That doesn’t sound like a last goodbye. Yet those are the words echoing across […]
The Cup of Sorrow
After 40 years on a shelf the true identity of the cup is revealed. Many years ago, a hospice patient gave me an enamel […]
Buying a Car
Buying a new car is always exciting and even more so when it has novel features. It started in 1999 when I saw the […]
A Lifelong Love of the Accordion
Sometimes things find us and other times we find things. This is the story of a boy and an accordion who found each other. Christmas […]
#2197
A memorable story from World War II. Marion R. Simpson was drafted into the United States army in 1943 at the age of […]
‘Doug’
A poignant recounting of a moment in life that had a big impact on a few who were involved and likely many more who were […]
Adaptive Re-use at the Zoo
Recommended by Lucy Librarian Warsaw Zoo, an unusual hiding place, was the jewel of Warsaw before the German occupation of Poland during World War II. […]
How I met my wife
Those were the days when it was likely that you would meet the person you would eventually marry in college. This is a story […]
Welcome to the 21st Century
I’m not sure I am ready for this century; the new cell phones have so many new features. Blue Teeth, Air Droop, Super Hyper […]
When Just the Tide Went Out
A special poem for the time we are in. This poem highlights the wide reach of the COVID-19 pandemic brought to us through the […]
Write a Memoir?
Take advantage of the time you have during spring and COVID-19 to begin to write stories from your life. We are all in the process […]
Is it right?
Two points connected with a continuous band constitutes a line. The line can be a continuous curve, a parabola, or straight. We inhabit […]
Liberal Political Refugee
A liberal 4-year old political refugee? Or a pondering 84-year old adult? My father, Haroldo Díes, was a Spanish-born official assigned to the French […]
Reflections
Little things can mean a lot. The recent change to daylight savings time triggered a fond memory. After World War II ended, I returned […]
Is It Cancelled or A New Way of Responding to Life?
The current crisis finds people working in creative ways. Besides all the wonderful support the Marquette staff is providing to the residents, I have […]
Thumbs up to American Airlines!
An upbeat story about air travel Recent studies of customer satisfaction with airlines have placed American at the bottom of US carriers. […]
Find Your Voice
Residents living in a retirement community can find a voice through representation and a receptive administration. This is the experience of one such voice. […]
Hiking
A love of hiking and appreciation for how it can benefit a person’s life is clearly stated. “Happiness is one step at a […]
The Kellogg “Scholar”
A small thing can make a big difference In the fall of 1957, I was in a pickle. Because of summer school, I had limited […]
Scatting
An interesting take on a singing style popular with entertainers in our youth that we rediscovered in the senior years. As Brenda Williams […]
On 9/11 Mexico City Flight Diverted to Indianapolis
Recollections of a Red Cross Mental Health Volunteer After the attacks on Sept 11, 2001, the FAA ordered all planes in the air to […]
While Dad Went to War
A heartwarming story of a little girl’s time in a safe idyllic setting while her dad served in the Navy. My children, for a good […]
Hospice
Dying is the biggest event in one’s life. A person, aware of their imminent death, must be afforded the opportunity to do this with dignity. […]
Fire and Ice – Iceland
Pingvellir National Park. This national park in Iceland is where the Althing, an open-air assembly representing the whole of Iceland, was established in 930 […]
Medical Memoir of an Irish Catholic
A powerful personal statement kicks off this Chapbook companion to Your Good Life Weekly. Born in 1935 in a middle-class family in Dayton, Ohio, […]
Christmas Blessings
“I don’t want a tree this year. Our apartment is too small. We’ve had so much stress in the last year and a half. […]
A Country Morning
A reflection on the beauty of a country morning celebrates a pristine time that can be a metaphor for life itself. “Stop! Help!” I hear […]
A Traveler’s Tales
It was the end of our second week as full time campers, when I made the call to the RV repair service. We were concerned […]
My Name is Sophie
Pets can be a healthy addition to a senior living community both for the owners and for other residents who may not be able to […]
One Hundred Year Old Doll
Treasures, sometimes of high value and others whose main value is sentiment and memories, pass through families over generations. They affect the people involved […]
Balcony gardening, or it must be 5 o’clock somewhere
Congratulations Jackie for successfully mastering the Grow Box and for sharing your experience. Now we look forward to a lush garden that was promised […]
The Gardener that Could be Any of Us
There are different ways enjoy your garden. There is no right way; just the best way for you. Just about anywhere in the country […]
An Indelible Memory
My father confirmed a strong memory that I have of an event prior to the first grade. It is my first memory from childhood. […]
Full Time Camping in Retirement
Life as a senior does not march in lock step. There are alternatives and the following describes one. After thirty years of camping experience, my […]
Corntoss, A Fun Sport for All
Also known as cornhole, baggo, beanbag, corntoss has gone from being a tailgate event in the Midwest to a nationwide pastime with championship games […]
The Vonnegut Name
In business for more than 100 years, the Vonnegut Hardware, a fixture in Indianapolis, was a vibrant business with talented team, members like the man […]
Peep Show
Accompanying your husband on a medical trip to Brussels can be a memorable experience. What occurred at the time of the Brussels’ World’s Fair […]