Last evening thunderstorms hit while I was grocery shopping at my local superstore. The lights flickered and went out – several times – and with each, I was plunged into darkness in the middle of a large space. Have I mentioned that I’m a bit claustrophobic? I didn’t panic, but I’d be lying if I […]
Stand By Your… Dad?
We all know that Arnold Schwarzenegger and John Edwards are dads. Has “Stand by your man” taken a new twist on the political stage, and come to be expressed as stand by your Dad? This recent brief by Julie Moos got me to wondering about adversity, and adult (or teenage) children of political families, who […]
My Teacher Calls Me Sweetheart
I remember his name. I would never say it here. That is a function of appropriate behavior, which I hope I exercise, and I know – he did not. My teacher would call me sweetheart; worse, it was the way he looked at me, and then came too close. The way he touched, or did […]
Calling for the Tow Truck
“You have an idea parked in your head now,” he murmured. And he was right. It was one of those perfectly reasonable and measured conversations, romantic even, that had taken a strange and unanticipated turn. What he intended as simple disclosure of something in the past triggered a surprising chain reaction. In me. It was […]
No Turning Back
When I first read this article on why keeping your options open is less satisfying than making irreversible decisions, I was shaking my head. No, no, and no. I’m good at decision-making, yet I love having alternatives, not to mention contingency plans. But I persisted with the article (despite my own resistance), and like its […]
What Would You Become?
I wanted to be a dancer, an artist, a fashion designer. More than anything, I aspired to become a writer. I imagined that I might try on each of these roles and perhaps even simultaneously. When I was young, like the rest of us, I wove my futures from child-like fabric without knowledge of complexities, […]
At Loose Ends
Perhaps it’s the same for marathoners. For recent college graduates. For prize winners of any sort. I distinctly remember feeling this way twenty years ago, in the days and weeks following my wedding. Months of planning and effort had yielded the desired outcome and after the excitement, the commotion, and the relief of having gotten […]
730 Reasons
The coffee is hot. Black. Strong. 12 reasons that’s exactly how I’m determined to drink it. More shoes than I care to count – and 22 reasons I adore them all the same. 1800 books (at least) – and 16 reasons I wouldn’t have it any other way. 300 gray hairs (an estimate) – and […]
Of Sun Gods, Summertime, and Renewal
Renew, refresh, regenerate. Reuse. Recover. These are just a few of the terms that decorate a glossy black bag I came across at the market yesterday. It was a steal at $2.00, and I went for it. Its purpose? To hold a limited amount of food as I do my shopping mindfully – looking to reduce expenditures (and waste), not […]
Peccadilloes
Some words are oddly likable. Their meaning may not stick, but the sound rolls around your mouth amiably. Last night I was reaching for a word that escaped me. I pictured Spanish food, with meat and olives. But no, that wasn’t it. Then I visualized thin paper bands in gold and red – the kind […]