Surviving Christmas
Christmas arrived right on schedule despite the fact I’d had my foot on the brakes for weeks. It slipped into the house like an obligation and has fled almost as quickly. We set it up, put it out, ate it up and then got the hell out of Dodge. It’s done and I’m glad. We […]
Coughs, Candles and the Christmas Cold
The first gift of Christmas arrived a couple of days ago. Sometime between midnight and four a.m. a cold germ snuck up the stairs and tackled me while I slept. I feel like I’ve been hit by a bus and my voice sounds like a rusty gravel truck. Merry Christmas! I’m feeling sorry for myself […]
I believe….
I am not a radical thinker. Hell, I’m not even an original thinker. I like to think of myself as a collective thinker. I gather notions and stories and ponder them. I sift through opinions and sort values and arrange them into a pattern that suits me. I keep the good stuff and discard judgment. […]
A Sentimental Moment
If I could put the brakes on time I would. I’d stop the clock and hang around for a while longer in this day or yesterday or a year ago. I’d look a little closer at the details, the tiny things that make life sparkle, the glitter. I’d study the stuff that drifts in and […]
A Christmas Lightbulb Moment
I’ve been dragging my heels and hanging onto November with my fingernails – doing everything in my power not to face December, but here it is. November gave me the slip on Friday and on Saturday my family pushed me into the festive season like a kid tossed into the deep end of the pool […]
11-11 The Eleventh Hour, The Eleventh Month
We will remember. We will gather, red poppies pinned on our lapels – the sound of a lone bugle will haunt the sky, the air will fill with the wisps of remembrance. We will gather to honor the dead, those who died in the name of freedom. It’s the least we can do. None […]
Brave pumpkins
Crossing Halloween off the calendar of ‘firsts’ didn’t feel like a big deal, Halloween hasn’t been an major event in our house for years. It’s a cute holiday, I will give it that, kids love it – costumes, free candy, late bed times – what’s not to love? But I didn’t feel like I had […]
Tripping on the past
I’m a great at dishing out advice – someone else’s problems are so much easier to solve than my own. I tell people to be brave, share their truth, talk about things – you know, all the usual stuff – text book advice. I believe if something is worth having it’s worth sticking your neck […]
A ride forty years long
Our fortieth wedding anniversary is tomorrow – it sits on the horizon like a fog I’m going to have to walk through. I’ve been fretting about it for weeks. Tomorrow will be another event in a year of painful firsts, a day to get through. I’ve spent a lot of time in recent days in […]
De-cluttering
I’ve been cleaning closets and sorting through things that haven’t seen the light of a day for years. I’ve been finding a lot of old memories; cards, notes, trinkets; and having a wave of nostalgia I haven’t felt in a long time. The corners of this house are stacked with memorabilia, a lot of […]