My heart has been broken many times over my 59 years; the majority of which were not from romantic disappointments. Friends and family have broken my heart. My heart has been broken by the loss of pets. It broke when actress Bette Davis died. When I watched the tree outside the poet Robert Frost’s historical home be taken down due[…]
On Mitosis, Meiosis, Neurosis and What Matters Mostest…
I had double carpal tunnel surgery a few weeks ago. I had let it go so long, that I had lost sensation in my fingers. I was constantly dropping things. I couldn’t decide if mealtimes, for my spouse, was more like dining with a toddler or a senior parent with Parkinson’s Disease; none of us, him, me, the toddler or[…]
On Wishes, Dreams, Goals, Whatever (just don’t call them resolutions).
Happy New Year 2023! Having given up “resolutions” (which I see as just an excuse to find something wrong with me, as a person and I don’t need an excuse to do that), a few years ago I started to write 10 New Year’s goals with emphasis on a Top 3. When I started, they were just open ended with[…]
On Being Charlie Brown and Linus…
I met Nancy in high school. We were in Mr. Tweed’s Stage Crafts class with a bunch of other losers – I mean a bunch of other drama enthusiasts. In Stage Crafts, we learned to build sets and the ins and outs of lighting, costumes, and were basically the gophers for the more talented, more beautiful performers. She and I hit[…]
On Eagles and Myths…
My beloved and I went to Alaska earlier this month on our honeymoon. It was glorious. If you have the time and the means, and any interest in wildlife, native Alaskan culture, or gorgeous scenery in cooler temperatures, I strongly encourage you to book a trip to Alaska sometime between June and September. During our travels we witnessed so much[…]
On Human Arrogance…
Pictured is the Guanacaste tree for which the province of Guanacaste, Costa Rica was named. My beloved and I (wait, I get to call him my fiancé now!) spent the past week in this lovely part of the world. If you have the opportunity to visit, it would do you some good. The beaches are clean – not white like[…]
On The Relief of Being Ordinary…
Aren’t we tired? Aren’t we all tired of our quest to be extraordinary? The need to make one’s mark in a world full of people who are also trying to make their marks is exhausting. There are myriad self help books on our night stands, only half read because we tell ourselves we cannot possibly achieve what this book says[…]
On Writing Off the Year…
2022 has to be a better year. We’ve all heard it. We’ve all said it. 2020 and 2021 were horrible years, complete and total losses. We were optimistic, even if cautiously so, that 2022 was going to be better. We had hope for this brand new set of twelve months. We were betting on 2022 being the redemption year for[…]
On New Years…
Today is the first day of 2022. I know we all have hope that it will be a kinder year for us; the last two have been such jackasses.
On Where Christmas Went…
When I was a kid, my mother often read Erma Bombeck’s column to me. Mom loved Erma, and I enjoyed the column too, but I never fully appreciated the essays until I was a mother. Erma wrote the following column in 1971 and it was republished in newspapers during Christmas for years afterward. Mom had cut out the article and[…]