Opinion

Many readers turn to Beyond Reason for helpful, everyday advice. How do I politely decline an invitation to play pickleball? (Move.) How do I get my beach bod ready? (Fast.) What do I wear to a Kentucky Derby party? (Hat.)

Multi-tasking could otherwise be called “The Art of Doing Everything Poorly at the Same Time”. It’s become a way of life, multi-tasking, with all of the extra things happening, the events to cover, the special sections, the early deadlines for holidays, juggling volunteer efforts, raising adult children (because it just never ends - the raising them part), trying to start a garden, and generally trying to stay alive.

Before my six-year-old gets her grubby paws on Highlights Magazine, I give it the once-over because I don’t need to know more than everyone—just her. There’s a lot to unpack in every issue. My daughter, a chip off the old block, reads it for the jokes. (i.e. How do billboards talk? Answer: Sign Language.) Their investigative journalism uncovers profound mysteries. (i.e. Why are tennis balls yellow? Answer: TV) Personally, I turn to Highlights for the weather. This month’s cover: “Here Comes Summer.”

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Innocence is a gift. It’s fleeting. Innocence is more than the absence of knowledge; it is a kind of purity of the soul. And perhaps nowhere is that purity more obvious than in a child’s voice.

A weekend of celebration of Mother’s Day often includes a celebration of my birthday that sometimes happens to fall on Mother’s Day itself. That means my lucky kids get out of having to be very kind to their mother on two separate days sometimes. Because this years birthday fell on the day after Mother’s Day, my son celebrated both in one, showing up at my house to tell me I needed to go outside and see what my gift was because it was in the trunk of his car.

In a field of wildflowers, amidst a pleasant breeze, ROB PEREZ finds PERSEPHONE, Queen of the Underworld, seated beneath a blooming crabapple tree, sipping pomegranate juice.

As Steve Martin famously said, “Some people have a way with words. Others… no have way.” I fancy myself in the first camp. I’m kind of a word guy. I love the way words look. I love the way words sound. I love the way words land. I love when you put words together and the combination is like a perfect martini. It elevates, invigorates, and you shouldn’t need that many to get where you’re going.

With finally sunny warm days, we’re starting to see the leaves appear on the trees, flowers beginning to bloom, and the sound of lawn mowers breaking up the regular routine of sounds in the neighborhood. While I do enjoy the winters, I’m so glad to see more signs of summer.