Category Archives: Advice
I Never Imagined
Recently I overheard two women discussing how their lives turned out so differently from what they had imagined. It got me to thinking about how that might be true for me too. Only when I really thought about it, I could not claim my life was different from what I had pictured, because I realized …
Speaking Out
Girls are brave. Some men know this. I think many do not, because they cannot share the same reality. Most try. Girls are brave. We know from such an early age – before kindergarten probably – that in general: Boys are bigger. Boys are stronger. And a few – just a few, but an important …
Bean Brain
Late in the planting season, after the rest of the garden was in, my husband regretted that he had not planted any beans. The raised beds were all full, but we had some whiskey barrels that we usually filled with herbs and flowers. We never planted beans in barrels before, but it was worth a …
Balancing Act
This week, I had my usual lunch with Mom, but with an added treat. Both sisters joined us and we all had a fabulous visit. We usually space out our visits on different days, so my mother can have lots of company, but being together this week was a treat for Mom too. She always …
Apologies
I don’t have a lot of revenge fantasies. It’s not that I’m such a goody-two-shoes. Well, okay, I’m a little bit of a goody-two-shoes. I believe in the power of Being Nice. That’s how I was brought up. “Be Nice” – said absolutely everyone in my family. And, as a corollary – “Don’t wish bad …
The Joys Of August
It’s August. The political conventions are over. They have left me with sleepless nights and high blood pressure. And there are so many days to go of increasing nastiness and vicious side-taking. I worry. I want us all to be okay. I am from the Woodstock generation, after all. I thought – for a very …
Political Pledge
I’ve been through a lot of election cycles. I don’t remember Truman (though I was alive during his presidency) and I vaguely remember Eisenhower as president… not as candidate. The first election I remember is Kennedy’s. I was nine. I remember how excited the nuns were back in 1960 – with a Catholic running for …
Let’s Do It In The Road
Not literally of course. But this week, I read yet another article about things you should not do in public. Obvious stuff – like texting in a restaurant, letting your kids run wild in the grocery store, talking loudly at the movies. I agreed with everything on the list. But I thought it was a …
The Wonderful Side Of Never
It’s another Father’s Day. My Dad was a family man. I could also say that he was a war hero, a self-taught engineer, and a handsome, intelligent, and athletic man. He could swing a golf club and he could swing my mother around the dance floor. But mostly he was a family man. He loved …


