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Sean Dietrich Articles

Columnists’ Day

BY SEAN DIETRICH I didn’t believe him. I thought he was pulling my leg or similar appendage. I was at the airport bar. He told me April 18 was National Columnists’ Day.“Surely you’re joking,” I said.“Nope,” he said. “And don’t call me Shirley.”The bartender pulled us...
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About today

Hi. You don’t know me. I don’t know you. We’re strangers. But we’re the same, sort of. Only chances are, you drive a nicer car than I do. In fact I guarantee you drive a nicer car.I drive a 25-year-old truck. The tailgate is rusted, there is a prodigious layer of dog...
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Easter

BY SEAN DIETRICH A few years ago I attended my first Catholic mass in a busy church outside Birmingham. It was Easter Sunday. I sat in the nosebleed section.People greeted me with the words, “He’s risen.”And because I was not raised under a rock, I answered with:...
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Dollar General

BY SEAN DIETRICH OPINION — The following actually happened. In a major American city. A guy emailed me about it.A young woman is in Dollar General. A mother of two. Shopping. She has her kids in tow. They are dressed in ragged clothes that look like they’ve been...
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Ghost

Ghost

Apr 20, 2022

By SEAN DIETRICH I thought I saw you today. I was walking through a crowded place. A Trader Joe’s, if you can imagine. You bumped into my shoulder....

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Ghost

Neighbor

Apr 13, 2022

My phone rang. I didn’t recognize the number, so I answered. I expected to be greeted with an automated voice, delivering exciting information about...

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Good

Good

Apr 6, 2022

By SEAN DIETRICH With all the important problems going on in the world — the war in Ukraine, political upheavals and Oscar Award winners assaulting...

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Good

Push Up Pops

Mar 30, 2022

By SEAN DIETRICH I was maybe 5 years old when I had my first encounter with an ice cream truck. It was a late 70s model Chevy Step-Van, rolling...

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Good

Alabama Rain

Mar 23, 2022

By SEAN DIETRICH It’s raining in central Alabama. I am on my porch, barefoot, watching the rainfall, hypnotized by the sound. Rain can do strange...

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Good

Three Colors

Mar 16, 2022

By SEAN DIETRICH I hung an American flag on our house today. We just moved in. We have only been living in Birmingham for three days, but I thought...

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Good

Continental Breakfast

Mar 9, 2022

By SEAN DIETRICH The old man in the crowded hotel dining room was wearing dual hearing aids. He smiled and greeted me with a voice that was loud...

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Good

Thin Mints

Mar 2, 2022

By SEAN DIETRICH The two girls knocked on my door. They wore Kelly green berets and green vests. I greeted them. The two Girl Scouts went through...

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Good

Lost & Found

Feb 23, 2022

By SEAN DIETRICH My wife and I played a game of catch today. We were supposed to be packing because we are in the middle of moving houses. But there...

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