I’ve got a confession to share - the holidays are hard. The level of stress, even in a world in which the resources are available to host dinner for 10 with home baked treats and gifts, just feels kind of overwhelming and like a poor return on investment. I hate (a word I’ve tried to … Continue reading Tis the season
Category: aging
Kingsolver is my Queen
I am in the midst of a royal obsession - reading and/or listening to Barbara Kingsolver’s entire catalog of work. Currently, I’m listening to Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, a book I read many years ago with some resentment. I mean, how wonderfully privileged must one be to be able to leave one state and travel to another … Continue reading Kingsolver is my Queen
Frozen in time
I awoke thinking about the two children who had died after falling in Washington Park’s lake. It’s impossible to know what the boy had been thinking when he ventured onto ice which was nowhere near strong enough to hold his weight. Did he know he was taking a risk? Was he perhaps laughing with nerves … Continue reading Frozen in time
Notes from a retired party planner
Somehow, ok, maybe it’s because I’m good at it, I’ve become quite the “milestone birthday party planner (MBPP). Through the years I’ve planned three 50th birthday parties (my mother’s dessert & cordials festivities, my ex’s Tuscany/London celebration and my own DeFazio’s & wine shindig) and, in recent years, two 60th birthday fetes, one of which … Continue reading Notes from a retired party planner
Since I became 58…
I’ve become more gentle with myself. Instead of 5 yoga classes a week, I’m content with 4. I step on my digital scale exclusively on Friday mornings. A two day weekend is my new norm - I’m not doing a regular side hustle. I want to dance more. Observing my sons brings me more joy … Continue reading Since I became 58…
Fiddling while home burns
My heart remains full from last week’s Laker gathering in Saratoga in honor of my brother’s milestone birthday. Being able to spend a couple of nights with friends we have shared since middle school is a gift none of us take for granted. We’re very, very lucky. The timing of my brother’s birthday coincided … Continue reading Fiddling while home burns
My kidney stone baby
More than a quarter of a century ago, as I labored to deliver my second son (VBAC, pitocin, sans pain medication), his uncle passed a kidney stone. For a short time, distracted by his own pain, Uncle M’s delivery eclipsed my own. The family didn’t learn about the new Lilly until later in the day … Continue reading My kidney stone baby






