March 1st. Already. This is a transitional month, a long-awaited month, a count of days that will see an evolution from the biting morning air to warmer and more inviting hours. This is one of my favorite times of the year, and I have always found March to be aptly named. It’s a time to […]
Getting Down to Business
Work ethic is one thing. Never enjoying success is another.
Rise and Shine
There was cruelty in the way she did it. And no matter how many times I asked her to stop, she refused. But then, there was cruelty in the way she approached many of those she professed to love, and I still feel the sting of her words, and the burn of her unanticipated rages. […]
Never on Sunday
Is Sunday your quiet day? Your catch-up day? Your day for domestic duties or family gatherings? Is it a day for rest? Not around here. Sunday comes and I step over teenage bodies – boy bodies – and the count seems to be the same as it was last evening. An excellent sign. All those […]
Taking It on the Chin
The arguing began within five minutes of waking. I couldn’t believe it. That fast? I had tried to cool things down last night so I could sleep. But here it was. Again. The same damn thing, like a broken record. Everything, an irritation First, there was the email that knocked me for a loop. Not […]
Wonky Woman Found Floating, Flailing, Muttering; Authorities Investigate
This just in: Authorities responded to a 911 call about a tiny woman seen floating downstream in a flooding area of a small suburban neighborhood. Diminutive in stature, the woman was actually flailing on her back, in a dazed condition, buoyed by rising waters. She appeared to be suffering some signs of exposure, and was […]
“It’s not my problem.”
How many times have you heard someone say: “It’s not my problem” – and you are baffled by the response? Perhaps it’s in reference to a task you consider routine, as part of a team. Or it may be a matter of parental responsibility. Have you ever been caught off guard by the “not my […]
Just Say No
It’s Friday evening. My son pops into my room. I’m working on documents – there are papers and folders scattered all over the bed. “Hey Mom.” I look up. “Tomorrow night, I’m going downtown with friends.” I ask for details, and I tell him it sounds like fun. “I want to have a few people […]
Constraints and Open Spaces
I dream a problem to solve: I need a small parking area for my fleet of six jets, he tells me. I am standing in a mall lot, on the upper deck, in the middle of a city. The site includes a spiral ramp on one side, and a poorly lit corner bounded by a […]
Standing Up
Women are frequently more comfortable than men when it comes to expressing emotions, and discussing our inner lives and evolving roles. For some time I’ve been trying to find male voices – those who write beautifully, lucidly, and openly about their discoveries, their doubts, their relationships. I’ve stumbled upon a few (you know who you […]