Two years ago, forest fires throughout the Pacific Northwest were closing freeways and making air quality miserable. It felt like the natural world that cradled me was becoming a charred skeleton, and I wondered if its bony remains would nurture me again. Near my home, a fire was consuming forests and moss-lined hollows of the […]
Category: Aging Gracefully . . . or Not!
“Aging gracefully” takes some honest thought and may never really apply to me, but I’m working on it!
A Grave Tender
Earlier this week, I met a friend as we gathered for a hike. She gave me a little hug and asked, “Doing better?” I thought she was inquiring about my mobility, so I gave an update on stretching suggestions she gave me earlier. Then she asked, “How was the cemetery?” “Did I tell you about […]
Not Built with Legos!
There is a tidiness to Legos that suits my temperament. I have a “grandchild’s loft” in my home with bricks, train engines, and tracks. Back when the grandkids were young, I’d buy a Lego kit, and we’d follow step-by-step instructions end up with something rewarding that worked. And if a train station got smashed, we […]
My “Wellness” Survey
I am not doing well, and I know it. There is something buried within my psyche, or physically in my body that is causing my nervous system to act up. It could be as simple as finding new stretches, but whatever it is, I’m apprehensive. After the past year of surgery and rehab, it’s easy […]
Hey Sister Suzy!
A trip to a psychiatric hospital “Hey! Sister Suzy!” The muffled voice came from behind observation windows at Cedar Hills Psychiatric Hospital during a tour in 1985. Only one person paired “Sister” and “Suzy,” so I instantly knew that it was an 18-year-old who used to be in my congregation. I would have hugged Daniel […]
My Dreamspiration
I had an inspiration last week — a flat out, “no doubt about it” message that I finally heard loud and clear. It came to me in a dream that told me to act. Now! As my mother’s mind failed, she too had dreams and inspirations. Disconnected scenarios that caused her to act outside reality. […]
I Couldn’t Make This Up!
I did too much in the last four days. Overdoing it is my way of doing what I want, so giving myself a painful muscle spasm is no big deal and not the focus of this post. However, the person who I texted to bail me out is. Jeanette has received desperate texts from me […]
Podcast?!!
My husband, Michael, and I were having a pleasant road trip. Then my phone rang. It was Michael’s sister, Joan, and the car’s speaker blasted her voice for Michael to hear. Usually, I like to talk, hang out and travel with Joan. But this time I was not crazy about the conversation. Joan asked if […]
Hanging with Kamala
Only a fraction of smart Senator Kamala Harris has been in the news lately as she rolled through press events to showcase her run for US President. Seeing the Senator reminded me of a hot July day in Los Angeles in 2015 when I stood beside her. I was feeling like a fraction of a […]
OMG when did this happen?
The shock came when I took a selfie to document a small place on my nose that felt scratchy and hadn’t seemed to heal for a while. I planned the “before” picture as evidence to see if I could improve the little spot by more careful application of lotion or other self-treatments. If it didn’t change […]