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 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[…]
On Sisters …
Two of my top five favorite writers are Nora and Delia Ephron.[i] Nora and Delia are sisters who (along with the younger Amy and Hallie) all grew up to become professional writers. There was never any question that they would be writers. Their parents were successful screenwriters, and it was their mother who set all four girls on the path[…]
My Heart (A Series)… Coming Into Focus Again.
When she penned “Breathe,” Becky Hemsley ended the poem with: And she found a small clearing surrounded by firs. And she stopped … and she heard what the trees said to her, And she sat there for hours not wanting to leave, For the forest said nothing, it just let her breathe. “Breathe” is a poem about finding one’s self[…]
On My Heart (A Series) … Carpe Diem
I seized the day. I had a good night sleep and woke up feeling rested. The weather was nice. A little breezy but the temperature got near 70 degrees. The hard freeze last week has killed off most of the flowers. There are a few Indian blankets still hanging on, as well as some goldenrod and some asters, but most[…]
On My Heart (A Series) … Another Round and a Shout Out to Nurses.
I am back in the hospital. I’m retaining fluid in my chest making it difficult to breathe, especially when lying down, in turn making it difficult to sleep. Some fluid has hung around in my chest since the surgery, but this past week it seemed to be getting worse. I sounded all the world like a contented cat making biscuits[…]
On My Heart (A Series) … The Good People in My Corner
I saw my surgeon yesterday. He seems to think I am right where I need to be. My healing is on schedule. I told him all my woes and while he didn’t look bored or roll his eyes, I could see he had heard all this before. There were a couple of concerns I had. There is some numbness and[…]
On My Heart…. (A Series) August 25
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 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[…]