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

As for Me   Everything is so BIG these days–the word “unprecedented” is flying off the shelves. People just can’t get enough. I’m not rolling my eyes—I do think things are BIG. Things are terribly unprecedented. Terribly.   But here’s what I also think: Tiny equals big. Tiny acts equal big results. The outcome can … Read more