If you were to look in my closet, you'd notice a number of similar items, like these two dresses, for instance. My tendency to gravitate to a certain style of shoe (chunky Mary Janes, preferably black), boots (knee-high, brown lace-ups) and sweaters (oversize and loosely woven) is easily discernible. I've got a thing for purple … Continue reading Looking for patterns
Category: aging
Expectations
What are "reasonable" expectations? Are you comfortable with those you have and, presumably, honor? I was thinking about some of the expectations I have and considering their degree of realism. I think I do ok with most of them. My problem comes when I allow something external to start putting the squeeze on me - … Continue reading Expectations
Giving up
You may not know this, but both of my parents came from large Catholic families. Is that redundant? I actually have an aunt and two deceased great aunts, who became nuns, for real. I grew up hearing about how my mother's family went to morning mass every day, staying for a marathon mass on Sundays. … Continue reading Giving up
On the edge of 17
It’s been almost 17 years since I became a parent. Impossible. When my water broke 5+ weeks before my due date, I remember feeling more excited than nervous, confident that my baby would be healthy and hearty. The unusually warm temperature (a record, it turned out) seemed a positive beacon and I went to the … Continue reading On the edge of 17
The Beatles, my boys and a birthday
If I think back on music from my childhood, The Beatles immediately come to mind. They were definitely the soundtrack of many car rides in my memory. Freshman year of high school, I remember the painful decision of which album to pick - the Red One or the Blue One. I don't remember which I … Continue reading The Beatles, my boys and a birthday
Preparing to die
To begin, a couple of childhood flashbacks... The first time I entered the woods with the boys who have grown to be my dearest male friends, I was convinced they were going to hurt me. It probably says something about the girl I was that I followed them to their forest fort, despite my certainty … Continue reading Preparing to die
Broken fragments and glue
"I was never one to patiently pick up broken fragments and glue them together again and tell myself that the mended whole was as good as new. What is broken is broken, and I'd rather remember it as it was at its best than mend it and see the broken pieces as long as I … Continue reading Broken fragments and glue