Open in app

Sign In

Write

Sign In

Paul Thomas Swann
Paul Thomas Swann

250 Followers

Home

About

Mar 13

Waiving: Probably a Southern Thing

Taylorsville, Mississippi: It’s a tiny place in South Mississippi. A guy in a blue Chevrolet pick-up truck drives past me, raises his hand on the steering wheel, and waves as if he knows me. I don’t know him, but I wave back. I’m pretty sure that if I tried that…

Hospitality

2 min read

Waiving: Probably a Southern Thing
Waiving: Probably a Southern Thing
Hospitality

2 min read


Mar 12

Toxic Shame and You Can Too

It’s around noon on a Sunday. I’m 14 years old, sitting in my dad's Chevrolet work truck, which (and I don’t mean to brag too much here) is equipped with some fancy modern technology that I’m currently using. An 8-track tape player. Don’t be jealous. The speakers are vibrating with…

Lifestyle

3 min read

Toxic Shame and You Can Too
Toxic Shame and You Can Too
Lifestyle

3 min read


Mar 10

Portland in October

And don’t forget your camera either — As a Trial Defense Attorney for the Army Reserve, I had to attend many conferences. This one was in Portland. Oregon. Now, I had wanted to take along my good camera, but the battery was dead and I couldn’t find the battery charger. So, I said to my wife, “Wife…

Jag

3 min read

Portland in October
Portland in October
Jag

3 min read


Mar 8

That Time I Witnessed a Real-Life Russian Invasion

Or maybe not, it was dark and such — I am a freshman in college attending a small college in northeast Alabama. It’s 8:52 p.m. and I’m headed home to Mobile for the weekend. These few months at college have been harder than I thought they’d be. I load stuff into my 1973 Plymouth Gold-Duster and head south. Up…

Life

3 min read

That Time I Witnessed a Real-Life Russian Invasion
That Time I Witnessed a Real-Life Russian Invasion
Life

3 min read


Feb 10

Quitting and Such

A short tale about punishing those we love — I was nine years old the first time I quit. The reason that I left little league football was not that I didn’t want to play. I did. I mean, I had the usual football heroes like Roger Staubach and Archie Manning which likely reflects my age and NFL geographical…

Relationships

3 min read

Quitting and Such
Quitting and Such
Relationships

3 min read


Feb 8

My brother’s bike

And why it’s a good idea to chain your motorcycle — A Kawasaki 900. It was probably a 1988 or 1989 model. I don’t remember, but it was a beautiful bike. Dark blue and way too much power for a teenager to handle. …

Motorcycle

3 min read

My brother’s bike
My brother’s bike
Motorcycle

3 min read


Sep 15, 2022

What an Invasive Plant Helped Me See About the Future

Also, beware the future — I ran across this little popcorn tree a few days ago. As strange as this may sound, I miss them. (Yes, I do know that they are an invasive species, but go with me here.) This one is growing in a field next to our apartment complex. For it to…

Life Lessons

3 min read

What an Invasive Plant Helped Me See About the Future
What an Invasive Plant Helped Me See About the Future
Life Lessons

3 min read


Jul 27, 2022

One Fast Way to Experience the Power of a Wrong Word

Turns out, that a stupid idea, in any other language, is still stupid. I’m on a bus in northern Russia. Our small group consisted of my future mother-in-law, a friend named George, and me. We were headed somewhere in town. My Russian skills then, like now, were nonexistent, but I…

Russian

2 min read

One Fast Way to Experience the Power of a Wrong Word
One Fast Way to Experience the Power of a Wrong Word
Russian

2 min read


Published in The Haven

·Jul 12, 2022

The “R” Question

The Army Reserve, Haircuts, and could you please stop asking me that? — I’m sitting in a barbershop in Northwest Arkansas probably 15 years ago when the obligatory barber conversation started: Me: “Just give me a low fade, kinda like a national guard cut.” Barber: “Oh, are you retired?” I frown and stay silent for a minute. Because, well, ‘one of these things…

Haircuts

2 min read

The “R” Question
The “R” Question
Haircuts

2 min read


Jun 19, 2022

Happy Paternal Unit Day

Being called father by any other name is just as great — As a new paternal unit, I pondered what I wanted to be called by our children. For some reason, I wanted them to call me Papa. I’m not sure why. Maybe because that's what their mother had always called her paternal unit in Russia where she was born and raised. …

Fatherhood

2 min read

Happy Paternal Unit Day
Happy Paternal Unit Day
Fatherhood

2 min read

Paul Thomas Swann

Paul Thomas Swann

250 Followers
Following
  • Jason Provencio

    Jason Provencio

  • Kimberlee Jakobe

    Kimberlee Jakobe

  • Sakari Lacross

    Sakari Lacross

  • William (Dollar Bill) Mersey

    William (Dollar Bill) Mersey

  • The Storyteller

    The Storyteller

Help

Status

Writers

Blog

Careers

Privacy

Terms

About

Text to speech