Articles written by Kimberly Devine

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About me - Kimberly Devine

I am Calliope... I see words as little gemstones that I try to piece together into jewelry that can change lives. I have yet to succeed, but that doesn't stop the effort. My words can be pretentious or silly, poetic or even absent. I write for the intellectual

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Creative Writing > Memoirs Memoirs: My first kiss: 2 of 49

My first kiss was the kiss I measured every kiss against until I met the man I married. I was sixteen, and the evening had started with a school dance. School dances were the perfect time to prove you were strong and alive, care free. The girls smiled at everyone and shook their bodies on the dance floor. The guys watched an...
Creative Writing > Memoirs Memoirs: Learning to drive: 3 of 50

STANDARD There are 28 definitions of this simple word at Dictionary.com. Number 26 is: "manual; not electric or automatic: (example) standard transmission". A week before my driving test, our car died. If I wanted to take the test, I'd have to learn how to drive my grandparents '81 Dodge Omni, standard transmission. Driving ...
Creative Writing > Memoirs Memoirs: My first tattoo: 3 of 46

After forty-five minutes of sharing the simple day-to-day madness of life, my mother took a breath. From her mouth popped the dreaded words, "I just wanted to let you know..." These seven words, a slight self-deprecating emphasis on "just", spoken at the end of a harmless conversation, have preceded nearly every tragedy in m...
Relationships & Family > Dating Dilemmas & Advice How young is too young to get married?: 1 of 12

Marriage is a difficult journey. A successful, long-lasting marriage requires an understanding of the committment of marriage, but can society place an arbitrary age on when an individual has reached that understanding? No. We should place a legal minimum age and help individuals reach a maturity level which gives them the s...
Health & Fitness > Substance Abuse Drugs and their impact on the world: 1 of 11

Drugs and their production have a massive impact on our global society. Addiction is a global health care crisis, yet many farming communities across the globe balance their economy on producing raw materials to feed addiction. There is a well-funded international criminal community built upon that same addiction. Consider t...
Health & Fitness > Autism Recognizing and treating autism spectrum disorders: 1 of 9

The Hidden Disability: High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorders Most people can easily recognize an individual with autism or an autistic spectrum disorder (ASD). At least, they believe they can. A high-functioning autistic spectrum disorder is debilitating because individuals are expected to conform to normal behaviors, a...
Parenting & Pregnancy > Parenting Tips Developing compassion as a way of life for you and your children: 13 of 111

A family can develop compassion together. In a society where compassion is fading from our lives, there is always room for adults to grow with their children at their sides. Compassion in action requires a person to practice two skills. These simpler skills take a lifetime to master, but they can be used every day. As unders...
Creative Writing > Memoirs Memoirs: My first babysitting job: 5 of 29

I had been an unwilling sibling-sitter for years when I got the phone call asking if I would watch my new neighbor's children. They had a company party to attend for a few hours. EASY MONEY! RESPONSIBILITY! My 13-year-old heart pumped glad as I bopped out a chipper, "Sure!" After heart-felt, prepubescent calculating, I felt ...
Creative Writing > Memoirs Memoirs: Learning to ride a bike: 6 of 31

There are many reasons a child learns to ride a bike: freedom, fun, fitting in and funds, to name a few. "Funds?" A person might ask. Why, yes! In 1980, I was a budding commercial actress at the tender age of four. A few commercials and a walk-on on Saturday Night Live, and I had the process down. When I tired of the auditio...
Creative Writing > Memoirs Memoirs: Learning to cook: 6 of 31

The first time I tried to make homemade bread was the best day of my father's life. One evening I decided to try making bread from scratch. The preparation time in the cookbook was listed as three hours. It was eight, so I figured I'd stay up and make bread that we could have with breakfast. They really should list separate ...