My mojo has left me. I'm not sure what I did to offend it. I'm searching for answers. I wonder if this is why... Last week, I took a little time off. My BFF came all the way from California to visit. We hadn't seen one another since January, and I was guilty of being just a wee bit excited. Much more than a wee bit, if you really want to know. The day before Ellen arrived, I sat down at my … [Read more...] about The Case of the Missing Mojo
Current Obsessions
Saying Goodbye to All That
There are two different schools of thought regarding so-called aging. Those who say they hate it... they're also fond of saying things like: Aging is not for sissies Aging out-and-out sucks Aging is tough Aging is a @^*!% struggle. And then there are those who: Embrace Aging Celebrate Aging Recite a prayer of thanks each morning they wake up Show off Aging Say Aging beats … [Read more...] about Saying Goodbye to All That
Do You Embrace Change?
I always thought I did. I was fond of saying things like: I need a change Life's more fun when you have new things happening all the time Things get so boring when they remain stagnant And I happen to think that over the years, I've embraced typical so-called changes pretty well. The empty nest? An opportunity for me and my husband to catch up with one another; as well as a natural … [Read more...] about Do You Embrace Change?
How Moving Keeps You Young
It's been ten whole days since we moved from our house to our new apartment. It's been a very stressful few days but it's well worth it! It's starting to feel like home. We've actually moved quite a few times, more than a handful at least, so I'm quite used to the moving process and what it entails. One of the most stressful elements of the process is actually having to sell the previous property! … [Read more...] about How Moving Keeps You Young
Selling the Family Home: Step by Step
Here's a snippet of what Long Novels, Exhaustion, Worry, Stress, Anxiety, Insomnia, Doubt, Mood Swings and Tears are made of: Realizing your children are never moving home again and your house is too empty, too big, too lonely, too expensive and too much work to justify staying in it. Making the decision to sell the house. Scheduling appointments with four real estate brokers to find the … [Read more...] about Selling the Family Home: Step by Step
Why I Chose to Have a Prophylactic Mastectomy
Angelina Jolie was not the only one to choose a prophylactic mastectomy. I did, too. - but for different reasons. (Thank you, Angelina, for making it public. You've given me the courage to write about it for the very first time. And now, I can't imagine why I was silent for so long). When I was diagnosed with breast cancer almost 25 years ago, the words "prophylactic mastectomy" were not … [Read more...] about Why I Chose to Have a Prophylactic Mastectomy
Family Bonding
Some months before my sister Lynne was turning 60, she made her birthday wishes known to me: She wanted to celebrate her big birthday in Aruba with me and my mother. The three of us hadn't been in one place for a so-called extended period of time since...I can't remember. Over the years, due to physical distance, work, raising families and general busy-ness, our times together were never … [Read more...] about Family Bonding
The Freezer That Rang (and Other Tales of Memory Loss)
I once knew a woman who told me she took away her son’s cell phone to punish him – and then ended up having to buy a new one because she couldn’t remember where she hid it. I thought it odd at the time; after all, how could you possibly misplace something as valuable and important as a phone? Until I did it myself. I lost my cell phone and didn’t find it until…well, it’s kind of embarrassing, … [Read more...] about The Freezer That Rang (and Other Tales of Memory Loss)
Will Arguments Never Cease: Stay-at-Home or Working Mother?
A quick prologue: When my boys were just entering their teens, I started taking writing workshops. While at a two-week intensive, I met a widely-published author I grew to respect. "I'm so envious of your success," I admitted to her after our wrap-up meeting lasting longer than it was supposed to. She paused, then threw me a look of what I remember to be a mixture of anger and regret. "And I envy … [Read more...] about Will Arguments Never Cease: Stay-at-Home or Working Mother?
Ma’am? Who You Callin’ Ma’am???
I don't know about you, but when I look in the mirror I see the same face that I saw ten, twenty, even thirty years ago. Maybe that's one advantage of compromised eyesight: it puts a lovely, gauze-like film over whatever you're looking at. The effect is somewhat poetic and dramatic, though subtle: an image awash in just a bit of haze, enough to make it look dreamy and quite lovely. And then, … [Read more...] about Ma’am? Who You Callin’ Ma’am???