Here’s a provocative piece of news that came out earlier this week and gives me pause – and not applause. Apparently, testosterone plunges in men who actively exercise Daddy duties. Say what? The New York Times offers its interpretation of this (disturbing?) data on maleness and fatherhood, and a “politically correct” spin which I find […]
Safe Crossing
I once felt safe in the deepest caverns of my body. I was strong, I was agile, I was in possession of endless stamina. I felt the immortality of youth, as do we all. I once felt safe in a place called Marriage. I was misguided in my choices and my beliefs, and now the […]
Where The Boys Are
It’s not that empty nest doesn’t have its advantages; it does. I worked on my monthly budget last evening. The straight-off-the-top out-of-pocket expenses that I can now eliminate are significant. Very significant. Which makes it crystal clear that the estimates of $1,000/month per child (to raise them) are – or were – very low, in […]
Pausing At The Light
It takes planning, and a willingness to run the risk of inconvenience if the traffic patterns are off, or my back starts acting up. But a trip to the Farmer’s Market for all that food, glorious food? For the sensual pleasure of an abundance of organically raised produce, not to mention grass-fed beef and wild-caught […]
Why Reading This Doesn’t Matter a Damn
Every little thought. Every little detail. Every. Single. Word. Does it matter, really? What we say and why we say it? What we write and our motivations for doing so? Who’s reading? Who’s not reading? Why do we think that each statement or question we put to ourselves is of interest to anyone else? Why […]
That Sinking Feeling
You know that feeling when you have a long, detailed list of tasks to accomplish, and you haven’t checked off a single one? You know that feeling when every time you start to sort through a pile of papers and files, you encounter something that triggers a reverie, a malevolent memory, and subsequent disappearance into […]
Five Accomplishments, No Medals, Parenting Ourselves
I’ve been scrounging in my son’s room for vestiges of dirty clothes – hardly an exciting task, but a must – lest hidden stinky socks unleash insidious effects while he is away at school. There was plenty to discover – a t-shirt here, a towel there, tennis shorts in the strangest places. And yes, more […]
Naked Parent People Seen Dancing On Suburban Streets
The toilet seats are down, as they should be. Then again, I don’t care. Never did. I have few constraints in my space; I suppose I should be dancing naked through my house, or behind it, or even on the quiet street where it’s rare to see anyone except on Saturday when lawns are mowed […]
Gone Fishing
Once, I was forced to put a wiggly worm onto a pointy hook and lower the line into a body of water. I didn’t much care for that activity, though sitting on the side of a river bank (or European canal) is very restful, indeed. Might I try it, without the rod and reel? Once, […]
Stacked
Looks? Sure, they matter. Health? Naturally. Money? Stuff? Of course. We all have to eat, right? Yet I look around my little house and the way I count my riches has to do with stacks of books on my bedroom floor – eighteen of them – an assortment of references and magazines that have overflowed […]