This has been an up and down week. Probably like so many others, I’ve felt by turns prepared, relieved, depressed, sad, horrified, frightened, uplifted, and hopeful. And then I cycle through all those feelings again. And again. I won’t dwell on the depressing, frightening, and sad aspects of our current reality here. Anyone can find […]
Home Alone Together, Week Two: 6 Surprising Things That Cheered Me and Gave Me a Little Hope
I didn’t blog or even write the first week that things came to a crashing halt in the U.S. because I was dazed and confused trying to wrap my head around all the changes. (Scheduled reviews still posted.) Suddenly talking about what plant-based meal I ate at a local restaurant seemed frivolous. And dangerous. And […]
Anxious and Breathless: Who Has Time For Pain?
If there’s one thing you can say about pain, it’s that it is hard to ignore. Actually, no, that’s not really true, though, is it? We ignore all sorts of pain. Mosquito bites, pinching pants, blossoming blisters, tweezing eyebrows, steam heat while cooking, pulling a muscle, stubbing a toe. In fact, I could fill pages […]
What Do I Know? What I Saw at the Returns Counter
Returning things is never fun. Especially during busy shopping seasons. Like Christmas. Or Back to School. Or really any holiday or annual event that retailers orchestrate. I was out among the shopping crowds recently and feeling pretty good about navigating the emotional landmines that can dot the retail landscape during the holidays for any […]
Sunshine State Winter: The Surprising Thing About Winter in Florida
Here’s the thing about winter in Florida. While I’ve grown up in Florida, I’ve also lived in other states in the US and spent plenty of winters – over half my life – outside of the Sunshine State. I’ve endured blizzards and ice storms and stayed home through school and government snow days. I’ve dug […]
Are Things Going Well? An Early Day in the Life of a Firstborn Daughter
We had all four windows rolled down in the green tank-like Ford thanks to the summer Florida sun intent on baking us inside. Hot humid air swooshed into the car. Mom steered around the curvy stretch of road towards home as fast as she dared as my sister and two brothers talked and fussed and […]
The Top 8 Books I Read When My Life Fell Apart: A Short Somewhat Story
Some years of your life are great. Lots of big things happen – you get a new job, you go on a great vacation, and a new baby is born into the family (not your baby, but still its cool). Other years, a sad thing happens. That was the year your grandmother died. Or that […]
Caregiving: Crazy-making and Self-defining
I confess, caregiving is hard. This probably isn’t a surprise. Anyone typing “caregiving” into Google already knows it’s hard. Or maybe fears it will be. It can also be fulfilling and life-altering and horrible and ruin your health. All your health – physical, mental, emotional, relationships. Caregiving is hard in the way that planning a […]