500 Words • 02/08/2024

Dulcius ex asperis

BUT due to the delay, I practically ran straight to the next gate, praying they’d still be boarding. Had I not been so focused on making my next flight, I might have seen the text stating: “Take a deep breath – we’re holding your next flight….” Which, of course, I didn’t read until after

08/06/2023

The Degrees of "No!" (Part 3)

To relearn parenting strategies means to act when you notice that your young child feels uncomfortable when being hugged or touched or tickled by another person – even when that person is family.

08/05/2023

Is it Settling or Growing?

It happens all the time – I realize this – that people end up in jobs, even careers, that have little or nothing to do with their hard-sought-after degrees. But I....

02/24/2023

The Degrees of "No!" (Part 1)

As I heard those words spill from my lips, my mind stalled, and I wanted to quickly delete those words before they could reach his ears. All I could think was, if I could have been allowed to use the word “no” to trusted adults...how might my life have been different?

12/06/2022

Unredeemable?

WHY? Why can’t I do the “right” things that I know would be better for me? I asked her this very question, “why?”, but she had no answer. She simply agreed that change is hard.

07/06/2021

Watchin' Around the Clock

I’m not opposed to having or watching television in general. I’m simply annoyed by my seeming-addiction to always have the glowing tube on when I’m at home. Am I alone here?

02/10/2021

The Snow Globe Life

And for many years I truly looked forward to each season, enjoying the changes in weather as they came and went.

Now I gaze at the beautiful snow-globe-filled world through my large picture window in the sunroom, longing for warm sunshine and short sleeve shirts.

Pixabay.com

01/06/2021

To Be Honest

I argue with myself constantly about what I need to do or what I want to do and why I should do “stuff,” trying to figure out why my body and mind won’t agree.

01/02/2021

Theresa Patterson's Lemons

Lemonade cake was one of Theresa Patterson’s favorite recipes to make as a Chef before she lost her vision seven years ago. It’s made with “lots of lemons” and has a light whipped cream topping, but don’t ask her for the recipe. Not that she wouldn’t oblige your request...

10/16/2020

Happiness isn't happiness without a violin playing goat... or so I've heard it said

Tonight, I found myself watching Notting Hill for easily the 50th time. I waited expectantly as William Thacker (Hugh Grant) noticed Anna Scott (Julia Roberts) walk into his Travel Book Shop, hopeful for the moment they would make eye contact and causally flirt while discussing his books on the country of Turkey.

500 Words • 06/03/2020

Why is Racism Still a Thing?

I don’t understand why some people can’t see the injustice of treating someone differently because their skin is a different color. I don’t understand why blacks have to justify their right to be treated equally – something that should already be their privilege.

500 Words • 06/01/2020

When Happiness Becomes a Façade

Learning to be happy, learning that it’s okay to be happy is complex because the feeling of happiness can be a façade that fools even the person who believes in their happiness wholeheartedly.

500 Words • 05/30/2020

Dormant Roots

Even when I couldn’t figure out why I was dormant in my life and in my faith, somehow, I believed that God was the “root” of the foundation.... that I needed in my life.

05/24/2020

Dreamscape

I don’t usually remember my dreams. Generally, I wake up with a feeling of, “That was a weird dream,” but I couldn’t tell you why it was weird or who was in it or anything that actually happened.

500 Words • 05/12/2020

It's Fibromyalgia Awareness Day

Only in my case I hadn’t started a new exercise routine and the pain had been problematic for several weeks. His response, “Oh, no! I hope you don’t have Fibromyalgia!” (facepalm) Okay, so clearly he wasn’t the best when it came to his bedside manner.

500 Words • 05/11/2020

Self-Narrators Anonymous

True, I don’t realize that I’m running a self-commentary when it happens, but I also know that I don’t go from room to room telling myself which room or task is next.

500 Words • 04/24/2020

Are you talkin’ to me?

Eye contact, like when you’re talking to someone, are you in favor? I know that eye contact is heavily preached by teachers in middle and high school speech classes. But just in general, when you talk to someone, do you look at them?

500 Words • 04/23/2020

Anxiety Over Having Anxiety About Having Anxiety

I miss my kids. I miss my grandkids. I miss my family and my normal life. I know I’m not alone. Anxiety builds up in the hopes of an end to life-lockdown only to find out that shelter-in-place has been extended yet another 30 days. It has to end soon, right?

500 Words • 04/17/2020

Welcome Mr. & Mrs. Mallard

Clearly the wildlife was confused, as well. As I pondered the snowfall and slurped my almond milk, I noticed something green, a green neck with a light-colored band around the base of its neck and long yellow beak perched up on top of the shed in our back yard.

500 Words • 04/11/2020

Memories of Easters Past

I remember when I was growing up, we didn’t always have a lot of money. Often if there was a new Easter dress, it was most likely made by my mom. She had a knack for sewing that I’ve never mastered. We’d spend time with her at the fabric store flipping through the McCall’s Butterick, or Simplicity pattern catalogues to select just the right dress

500 Words • 04/09/2020

The Enemy Within

Second guessing. Why do we, as human beings, second guess our own judgement? I say “we” because I’m sure that the general majority of people suffer this same insecurity as me. For example, I’m terrible at any multiple-choice exam. “Trust your gut” the teachers would say

500 Words • 04/07/2020

What's in a Name?

The name of the guy who supposedly sent this message was Kevin Wendell Crumb, which kind of sounded familiar. I decided to Google the name and I’m even more convinced that it was a scam. Feeling less flattered, but still very amused.

Photo by gemma on Unsplash

500 Words • 04/06/2020

Grocery Shopping Inconveniently

Convenience. I remember when stores like Wal-Mart and Target and Sam’s Club started making parking spaces for drive-up order pick-up only. How often will that parking actually get used for that purpose? I wondered. In fact, when my husband and I would go to stores with those specially designated spots, we often noticed how much they weren’t being used.

500 Words • 04/05/2020

For the Sake of Sunshine & Heart-hunting

Cooked spaghetti. That’s what my legs felt like after a simple 40-minute walk around the neighborhood. I just wanted to enjoy the sun and hunt for hearts.