Two days after my mom and I culled the disorganized racks of a post-holiday sweater sale, I needed her guidance with a sweater I’d been knitting for Andy, my college age son. It was the afternoon before he needed to go back when I called her for help. “We are really down to the wire,” … Continue reading Sweater Woes
Owl Watching
In the same week that I decided to put up bird feeders along the busy road in front of my home, an owl moved into the owl house outside my kitchen window. The house has been there for years. I watched it often in the time period immediately after Dave put it up – naively … Continue reading Owl Watching
What Made Me Swim Across the Deep Dark Lake
My heart was still racing thirty minutes into the swim, my arms and legs flailed, there was no ease or even any discernible rhythm to my body’s movements in the green murky water. I concentrated on just trying to move fast in my failing effort to burn off the energy my nervous system released. I … Continue reading What Made Me Swim Across the Deep Dark Lake
The Unexpected Thing That Happened When I Gave Up Sugar: A Public Service Announcement
My proclivity for sweets remained with me over time. Chocolate, in particular, served an important role. A piece of it was really the only way my brain knew that the meal was over. Like the credits at the end of the movie, I only seemed to stop eating if I sent the specific ‘sweet’ signal to my brain.
Phoenix, the Backyard Chicken
The dog sitter expected me to save the chicken. What would she think of me if I didn’t? What would my brother think of me if I did? I went back and forth. I could save the chicken for the dog sitter so she thinks I am a good person OR let the chicken die so my brother doesn’t think I am crazy.
Jumping off the High Dive Again and Again
I have probably announced, dozens of times, that I want to practice meditation. I started my official announcing of this goal nearly a decade or more ago. Declarations are my first step toward taking action and I even recommend my wishes on others -- before I do them myself -- in the form of sentences … Continue reading Jumping off the High Dive Again and Again
Do Not “Like” This
My high school English teacher, Mrs. Michael, rarely gave compliments or A’s. She was renowned throughout the school for her high standards and tough grading. I never got above a 'B' until one noteworthy essay my senior year. When I wrote the essay, however, I didn’t think it was noteworthy at all. It seemed … Continue reading Do Not “Like” This
The Thing I Hadn’t Seen Because I’d Never Really Looked
It was an attempt to get them to sit there longer – my reading of story books at the dinner table. I had several little boys and a husband who worked late and a lack of patience at day’s end. I also had a picky eater, the tipping point of it all. He … Continue reading The Thing I Hadn’t Seen Because I’d Never Really Looked
On Meditation and a Dog’s Batting Paw
What happens upon returning home after a week at a writing and meditation retreat? I realized soon upon reentry that what I lack most is discipline. But I also lack people around me engaged in the same thing. There is no group dynamic, no army to make me fall into step. To wake up in … Continue reading On Meditation and a Dog’s Batting Paw
It Always Goes Back to the Botulism
I poured the oats into the wooden bowl and sprinkled on some cinnamon. I added pecan halves next, absentmindedly breaking them in half again, noting how much crispier they were then the ones I had used in the granola the week before. Those were rubbery, softer. I wasn’t sure if I should have used them. … Continue reading It Always Goes Back to the Botulism
