Five Minutes explores five minutes of a life in one hundred words. Five minutes is edited by Susanna Baird, with editorial support from managing editor Maria s. picone, newsletter editor kate meen, and founding reader bobbi lerman, plus our rotating team of guest readers, who you can meet in the latest newsletteR. Five Minutes was founded in October 2020, with the Salem (Mass.)-based writing group Carrot Cake Writers supplying the journal’s first pieces. We’d love to read your five. Submit here

Office

She said, “We need to talk.”

My heart leaped to my throat.

“Um, OK.” I swallowed hard. My brain feverishly made up stories, and then I forgot all about it and slept right through the time of our phone call. Aaargh!

Ashamed, I texted, “So sorry! I just woke up. Can we re-schedule?” 

When we finally got together, my stomach was churning. What could I possibly have done? I sat on my hands, pinched my lips into a smile.

“What’s on your mind?”

“My English not good. I giving speech on Friday. You smart. Can you look at my PowerPoint?”

Christi Byerly, who’s lived in six countries on three continents, runs Awaken Coaching. Her clients come from all over the globe. 

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