I made a mistake. Driving s l o w l y  in front of the CVS, I was checking the sign on the door to my left to see if the drug store had opened yet.  Because I was a little distracted, I failed to see–and yield–to the woman standing behind a person in a … Read more

I took this photo from the summit of our camo-green-painted, securely-fastened-to-a-tree extension ladder in our backyard. I love biking, but sometimes I throw in a step-climbing workout to mix things up. A funny thing happened one day this summer when my daughter, Cassie, was in town. Unbeknownst to me—she happened to be within earshot on … Read more

Mopes and Screams   It’s generally more socially acceptable to talk about hopes and dreams. My current reality is somewhere between mopes and screams. Based on the world’s headlines, I don’t think I’m alone.   I’m so over you, karma, the law of attraction, manifest-your-empire social media ka-ka. Just go away.   Fine. I went … Read more

Pain Pain     I’m probably going to make some people uncomfortable.   I think that’s okay.   Here goes.   Pain denied is pain doubled.   As a woman, I’ve been told (many times) by a stranger to smile. It’s generally on the street and it’s always been from men.   I usually cringe-smile. … Read more

When it’s Your Time to Go   The day began with visiting the funeral home with my sister and niece. We’d been spending the past several days tag-teaming it, caring for mom during her hospice days. Now, we sat at a round table in a room and discussed the details of her service to be … Read more

This Land is Your Land This Land is My Land   A few days ago, John and I rented the film, Land with Robin Wright. I loved it. No worries, I won’t give it away.   Much.   I hadn’t seen Gravity with Sandra Bullock in years, but John happened to be watching it with … Read more

  In episode #3 of HBO’s Mare of Easttown aired this past Sunday, there’s a scene between Kate Winslet’s character (Mare) and the mother of Mare’s six-year-old grandson (Drew), Carrie. Carrie’s in a halfway house, trying to get her life back on track, and tells Mare of her intention to regain custody of Drew (who’s … Read more

  Superbloom     As I watched the string of fully engaged, heart-flayed and splayed, vulnerable-valorous testimonies from the bystanders up against the calloused, heart-detached video and stills of the actual murder and murderer, I kept thinking “what a microcosm of humanity.” Good and bad, what a picture of us.   From the juxtaposed sound … Read more

The Art of Nuance   I just got caught up on ABC’s This is Us which further proved to be jaw-dropping, heart-stopping brilliance. It faithfully depicts human/flawed/real/loving/painful relationships in one of the most honest ways I’ve ever seen on the screen. If you fully absorbed (this is key) the most recent episode, you experienced the … Read more

He Has Ulterior Motives   The pillow in the photo is documentation of ulterior motives. It reads: “It all began behind a closed door at church camp 1982.” This excerpt from “Crush,” in I Punched Myself in the Eye, will fill in the blanks:   “Pants brought us together in the first place back in … Read more