Just Because
Prompts
I used to get up early to write, and I ran after the kids left for school. Now, I run before Melina leaves the house, and I haven’t yet found a good time to write. That problem needs to be remedied, and it will, but for now, I’m forcing myself to stare writing prompts in…
Read MoreOff Screen
We’ve discussed social media here before, so I won’t rehearse the familiar arguments. But on Friday, I did something deliberate: I chose to pause. I announced that, for the foreseeable future, I’ll be stepping back from all platforms—namely Facebook and Instagram. I deleted Twitter years ago; I rarely use LinkedIn; and, in my view, Goodreads…
Read MoreBack on the Road Again
We’ve instituted a weekly family Zoom meeting, and sometimes, like tonight, we forget about it until a family member texts saying, “7:30?” Then we scramble to our respective devices and chat until someone, usually me, says they are tired. Tonight as I logged off, Aaron was yawning, so I clearly wasn’t the only tired one.…
Read MoreQuiet
The topic of introversion has surfaced before on this blog. I’ve always been an introvert, and sadly, when I was young, no one quite understood what that meant. Not my parents. Not my sisters. Not my friends. “She’s just quiet,” they’d say. “She’s just shy.” My lack of willing conversation went far beyond being…
Read MoreAdulting
Last week, Talia called: Blue, her 2006 Honda Pilot, needed help. As it turns out, Blue needed more than help; it needed an overhaul. And since the car was twenty years old, we decided that pouring thousands of dollars into Blue didn’t make sense. Which meant that Talia needed to do a few things as…
Read MoreMonday, Monday
Like many folks, Mondays are hard for me, and they always have been. To be fair, Sundays are also difficult, mainly because my flavor of anxiety would fall into the “anticipatory anxiety” category, which is often called “future tripping.” Yes, I have the uncanny talent to spiral about events that haven’t even happened yet,…
Read MoreNew Year, New You
With the start of a new year comes a long-awaited dream come true: I FINALLY got my nose pierced. While the plan is to have a small hoop on my right nostril, for the next six months, I have to live with a small stud, which I chose with the kids in mind. Four little…
Read MoreAh, Parchment Paper
Mom never used parchment paper when baking, so I didn’t encounter it until well into my twenties. Even then I didn’t routinely buy it because of budget constraints. Now, thirty years later, I keep parchment paper in the drawer, at the ready for when I need it. Sometimes, I even have an extra roll in…
Read MoreSummer Goals
This is the first time in a long time I’m not actively writing something, and while an odd feeling hovers around me most days, a sense of peace and tranquility exists as well. So I’m looking forward to this summer, which begins TODAY! (I have one student I’ll be working with through June 27, possibly,…
Read MoreA Bumpy Ride
Tomorrow is the inauguration. I’m trying my best not to dwell in the negative, but we’ve lived through the presidency of this man before, and I’m more scared now for what’s to come. Part of that is because this time, I’m better informed. Reading—always something important to me—has been first on my list lately, and…
Read More