We don’t get to pick the order of operations as we fade or explode into deteriorations or setbacks. Since having every part of us go kaput would be a critical system failure, most of us try to manage these sub-system breakdowns with some grace while we work to improve or accept whatever crappy situation our […]
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Adult Coed Slumber Party
The golf season is in full swing in the northwest, so Michael is often out of town volunteering as a golf rules official. Although there is very little about his gig that I can relate to, I get a lot of inspiration from his commitment to the players and those crazy rules. Michael used to […]
Rejected Angel
There are times in an old woman’s life where you can “roll with the punches” or “not sweat the small stuff.” I try to do that whenever I can. Until I couldn’t. It was IKEA that set me off. A few weeks ago I went to my local store to get UNICEF Christmas cards. When I […]
Tribal Exile
When I mentally bailed out of the church I’d devoted my adult life to, I lost my tribe and a chunk of the person I’d been taught how to be. I’d put a lot of energy into local congregations, so my self-imposed exile left some holes in my heart. The widest gap comes from losing […]
My Butt Encased in Spandex
Michael was headed to Costco later in the day, and I asked, “Will you put some ‘Men’s Small’ white t-shirts on the Costco list?” “Why do we need t-shirts?” “We don’t need them, but I do.” “What do you need those for?” “To wear to the gym.” Michael is a retired coach and aware of the […]
Slaughtering Ecstasy
I don’t like to think of myself as a killer, but on occasion, I hunt and slaughter as efficiently as I can. However, this post isn’t about my prowess in carnage, but rather about what goes on in my head if someone else finds out about it. Mostly I’m non-violent. I try to eat vegetarian food and […]
Sanctuary from Me
It was innocuous enough, I showed up the first session of another writing class with a fat pen to go blah . . . blah . . . blah . . . at our writing prompt. This would be the only prompt in the term that I had to address without much reflection. On future […]
The Casket Salesman’s Pitch
I cannot remember what the tricked-box that carried my first child to his destiny with the earth looked like, but I can sure remember picking it out. The shock that initially numbed me from the anguish of an accident didn’t help me when it came time to make difficult decisions on the mortician’s punch list […]
Angst Bunnies
Paralysis gripped me as I sat before my computer and thought about writing the specifics of any part of my past. It seemed like I was stuck in an insufferable loop of wanting to write, or at least knowing I should want to write, but still avoiding it. And then I realized I had danced […]
Superficial
I was working less and thought that rather than twiddle my thumbs I would twiddle my fingers and write on a blog or two. I wanted to write with depth. I didn’t. I wanted to write in an engaging way. I couldn’t. The void was a problem so I signed up for a writing class. […]