I turned 60 years old this month. I’m having a hard time getting my brain around this. How the heck did I get here? I was just 40 about a month and a half ago. I still remember puberty, but now require my Waze app to go places I’ve been dozens of times. A colleague referred to me as “middle[…]
On Being a Person in a Meat Suit…
It is so hard to be a person, isn’t it? So very hard. I’m not talking just about being a decent human being, which is nearly impossible some days. But, the basic daily chore of waking up and dragging ourselves out of bed every day can be terrifying. We walk around in the meat suits assigned to us, navigating through[…]
On Labels and Trying to be Good…
Why is every attempt to do good met with so much resistance from those who think they are doing better? It is so hard to be a “good person” these days, isn’t it? Shit, I said “these days.” One of my mottos (“good people” have many mottos) is “do no harm.” I work so hard at doing no harm, especially[…]
On the Permanence of … Everything…?
My new garden sleeves arrived in the mail this week. I started wearing garden sleeves a couple of years and now I will not be without them. I treated myself to a new pair for this season. As pleased as I am with them, I was even more delighted with the packaging. It bears a friendly greeting. “Hello! This bag[…]
On Keanu, Buddhism and Pigeons in Protest…
I try to find humor in everyday situations. Some days, funny is hard to find and I have to turn the laughter to myself. But most days, there is more than enough to laugh at if I open myself up to it. This morning started with my Sunday Shakti Yoga Church, a small congregation of yoga practitioners and our teacher[…]
On Days That End in Y…
I woke up this morning not sure what day it was. I do that a lot now. One day just seems to melt into another, as the sun rises and sets. Does it matter, really, what day it is? Sometimes I’ll go all day thinking it is one but it is another, and the error made no difference in how[…]
On My Heart (A Series)… An Update
Four out of five of the orchids on my window sill are in bloom. The tallest one has been blooming since late September and now it is January. It was a special gift brought to me in the hospital as soon as I was transferred from ICU. The second one went to bloom in November, the yellow one in December,[…]
On Celebrating the New Year…
Give every day a chance to become the most beautiful day of your life – Mark Twain How things have changed in the celebration of a new year. When my peer group was under 21, it was all about flopping at some buddy’s house and partying hard until dawn. As we got older and had more money, we dressed to[…]
On a Winter Rest…
Today is December 21, Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year. It will be Christmas in just a couple of days. Coming off open heart surgery in late September, I promised myself two things about Christmas 2023. First, I would not overdo it. I would not stress about gifts or decorating or baking and canning. I would do what[…]
On My Heart (A Series) … Back to Normal Life.
I went back to work this week. There was discussion with my doctor and Charles about possibly working from home for awhile or doing shorter days. In in the end, I decided to go all in. My co-workers were so warm and welcoming. My boss presented me with a fragrant bouquet of flowers. I was temporarily given a VIP parking[…]