“It’s a what?” I wasn’t hard of hearing in my late 40s; I was just thrown by the new term “A Gated Community,” my husband announced, articulating slowly for my edification. “Why?” I asked. Placed in the heart of 450 acres of undeveloped forest, a gate seemed the height of redundancy. The one I was looking… Continue Reading
Oh my God, what am I going to do? I shot up in bed in a cold sweat; not comforting at 3:30 a.m. when you have early appointments the next day. Reassured by my IPhone that it was not yet the accepted time for rising, I forced myself to lie back on my pillow faking… Continue Reading
My friend’s smug self-satisfaction gave her the look of Lewis Carroll’s Cheshire cat. “I’m giving up peanut butter for lent,” she said. I shot back, “how stupid,” before I could stop myself. “Why?” “Because it’s lent!” My blank expression gave me away. “You’re not religious enough to understand,” she said. I assumed she must be… Continue Reading
“Magic Mirror on the wall…” No need to go further. We all know what comes next. That iconic query leveled at a looking glass by the jealous queen in Snow White started all the troubles to come. The queen didn’t get the answer she expected; the one she’d convinced herself she’d hear. Instead it told… Continue Reading
“I think you’re uniquely positioned to handle this well.” I heard some hesitancy, possibly part of the translation he had to do from his native French in his head to my native English in mine. Handle this well? I made excuses for such a seemingly thoughtless comment due to his foreign tongue and emotionally challenged… Continue Reading
I’ve noticed recently how often I’m moved to tears. It’s a new development since I’ve entered the recovery phase after my husband’s death, and one I’ve been forced to acknowledge by its repetitive reality. Of course, my inner voice says, your nerves are a mess; overworked and undernourished. But that inner monologue also has another… Continue Reading