Greetings – remember me?? I write that because it’s been a long while since I’ve posted here - and that old saying, “Out of sight, out of mind” scares me a bit. I hate to lose whatever momentum I’ve gained since starting this blog back in 2012 (has it really been that long??). So, thanks for sticking with me! As I write this post, I realize I’ve been a bit, well…absent lately. Short explanation: As a writer, it sometimes is tough to keep the so-called momentum and ideas churning. Long explanation: I hate excuses and I don’t want pity so I’m not going there. But I have been doing a lot of writing – { Read More }
Are You the Child of a Narcissist?
It's a common scenario: Your parent is aging, and little by little the roles are reversing. You are becoming their parent, and they are becoming like your child. If you were born between 1946 and 1964, then you might be one of 76 million baby boomers approaching and/or ready to enter retirement. Or perhaps you're first ramping up a career that had been put on hold while you focused instead on raising your own family. (That's how it is for me. When my two sons were in high school, I returned to college for an advanced degree, knowing that once they flew the coop, I'd want to focus on a new career. I'm { Read More }
Knowing What to Say to a Friend With Cancer
Even today, 26 years after experiencing what it feels like to be 'that' person, it's can be hard for me to figure out what to say when someone else gets diagnosed with cancer. I know that when I was going through it, there were so many - too many - people around me who let me down. It was only once I recovered from the throes of illness - getting through the shock of the diagnosis, the physical demands of chemo, the constant drain on my emotions for so many years to follow (definitely a form of PTSD) - that I was able to move beyond myself and realize that people were just as frightened and { Read More }
Is Bruce Jenner Having a Midlife Crisis?
Yesterday at the gym while stretching post-workout, I overheard two women talking about Bruce Jenner's recent announcement that he was transitioning into a woman. (I wasn't exactly eavesdropping; if you saw the small area devoted to stretching, you'd understand why it isn't easy to ignore nearby conversations.) "Why do you think he waited so long to come out with that?" asked one. (I had often wondered that myself, but was pretty sure I understood the possible answer.) I was already getting annoyed. She lifted one leg effortlessly into a yoga-like pose, adjusted her stance slightly, then { Read More }
When Nothing is Sure…Everything is Possible
Yesterday, I eavesdropped on Dame Judy Dench and Maggie Smith. “How many new lives can we have?” asked Ms. Dench. She answered her own question with the best five words I’ve heard in a long time: “As many as we’d like.” Lest you think I hang out in such royal company, I don’t. That question comes from the movie, The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. Have you seen it yet? I haven’t – my efforts yesterday were thwarted by some circumstances beyond my control – but I can’t wait. In preparation for sequel, Alan and I watched the original, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, on Netflix last Friday night. I { Read More }
Defining Moments
We all have defining moments. Do you think they chart the course of our lives? Yesterday, like on most other days, I startled when my alarm went off at 7:00 AM. And like on most other days, I routinely made my way to the bathroom, shuffled into the kitchen, pressed the button on my coffeemaker to brew myself my usual dose of caffeine. Stirred in the half and half. Waddled into my office. Carefully set the steaming hot cup down on my desk, where I checked my emails and scanned the news headlines. But then, just as suddenly as I’d jumped when my alarm went off, I paused, and my morning’s { Read More }
Remembering to Give Thanks: 12 Things I’m Grateful For
I thought that this year would be different; that I wouldn't be posting the usual "I'm grateful for X." But somehow, this morning, with Thanksgiving Day approaching, I've been hit with a sentimental moment. So I'd better strike while the proverbial iron is hot! Thanks for being here and for reading my blog. Being a writer sometimes feels like I'm yelling into the great unknown black hole. I'm so grateful to have real, live people read and/or comment on my words, which I hope touch and resonate with you in some way. I'm always happy - and curious - to read what you have to say, too. This year, our { Read More }
Keeping Up is Hard To Do
If you’re old enough to remember that old saying “Keeping up with the Joneses,” you’re old enough to understand how hard it has become to really keep up. But I’m not talking about the Jonses any longer. That’s old news. I’m talking about keeping up with the wild pace of technology. My father (may he rest in peace), at 89, taught himself to use a computer. But then again, he was always handy and could build a radio or a car engine from scratch, and isn’t technology the modern-day equivalent of those kinds of skills? The Pew Research Center found, in 2012, that more than half of adults aged 65 and { Read More }
Aging With Ease and Grace
I am so delighted to have recently reconnected with a friend from my past. Our children went to preschool together. Shortly after the end of the school year, Charlotte and her husband Alan moved from Connecticut to New Jersey so their two girls could get situated in kindergarten. Although we were good friends, we lost touch. You know how that goes - young mothers get super-busy and our focuses and priorities shift with our responsibilities. And way back then, there was no internet or cell phones, which admittedly now makes things a whole lot easier on a lot of fronts. Our children are now inching { Read More }
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