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 […]
Tag: aging
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. […]
The Assignment
After I began my first writing course, it took five weeks before I hauled myself into class without dread. I just didn’t know that profound wretchedness that would be coming before the end of the class. In an early “wild write” session during that fifth class, a student gave me feedback that turned out to be a […]
Quilt Over My Soul
My soul is covered with scabs that patch and shield from wounds that pierced my being and left gaping holes of loss inside. Those little crusty pieces of armor have become a quilt of puffy, beautiful, patches; each section created by thoughts that are tied with the strings of my heart to provide protection so […]
Embracing Yuck
In a “Gray Matter” ” column for The New York Times Sunday Review December 31, 2016, neuroscientist Lisa Feldman Barrett writes about “superaging” based on her research and that of others who study the topic. Nice summary article. I need it right now as I struggle with WordPress and getting this website going. Dr. Barrett writes that to gain […]