“I have already lost touch with a couple of people I used to be.” — Joan Didion I started keeping a journal during my sophomore year in high school, and I continued the practice into my young adult years. My journaling dropped off after I got married, started having children, and got busy with professional…
I’ve suffered with cold sores since I was a child. I don’t know who exposed me and I don’t remember when I got my first cold sore, but I’ve had periodic outbreaks of swollen, painful blisters on my lips going back possibly as far as my preschool years. I haven’t really known life without this…
Rachael also contributed to this post. When I get up for work on a weekday morning, I keep to a routine. Among other things, I get something to eat, take some time to think about the day ahead, and then go get cleaned up and dressed for the day. While I’m eating, I also usually…
I have a number of friends who are considering leaving their jobs this year. That’s not surprising, because a lot of people have left their jobs this year. The reasons are varied, but a lot of it comes down to burnout. Many of my friends work in public education and are worn out over the…
I turned 40 during the pandemic. After getting vaccinated, I began catching up on some non-urgent preventative medical appointments, including scheduling my first mammogram. Many of my good friends are a few years older than me, so I know women who have already had mammograms. It was time for me to join the club. What…
In mid-March, schools around the United States closed, seemingly overnight. That meant a lot of parents were left with kids at home, possibly for the rest of the school year. It creates a lot of challenges for parents. Every parent is in a different situation right now. Some parents have the capacity to facilitate the…
Americans are too sedentary. We sit too much and don’t get out enough, and the impact on our bodies is serious. The solution is to get active, and while vigorous activity like running is good for you, studies have shown that moderate exercise can also have a positive impact. It’s probably no coincidence that two…
Most people have heard the word economics before, but there’s a good chance they only have a vague idea what it means … or, if they did know in some dusty old class, they don’t remember it now. Economics is a field that covers many things, but if you were going to try to reduce…
Having something stolen feels like a violation. There’s this sense of intrusion into your space, this understanding that someone came into your things and took them. It’s worse when you don’t know where it is or if you’ll ever see it again. I’ve had it happen, and it’s not fun. At all. The reality is…
There are times in life when I know exactly what to do. I have a path in front of me, and I walk it confidently. I know the job I need to complete, the errand I need to run, or the problem I need to solve and how to solve it. Other times, I have…
