Birthdays. Anniversaries. They're generally happy events. Opportunities to create treasured memories with those we care about. But special dates can become prickly reminders when . . .
Read More
Here's a blindingly brilliant stunner for you: "A key piece to solving loneliness? Friendship."
I got a good eyeroll out of that headline. But I also got a little ticked-off at the arrogance of the assumption.
Read More
It's 9:30 p.m. I've had a pleasant day. I enjoyed three good meals, plus a few hearty snacks. I got in some physical activity and ticked a few items off my to-do list. I had a phone call from a dear friend, taking the edge off my hunger for social connection. Now I am tucked into bed with an absorbing book, two chunky furballs purring at my side. Yes, life has provided many blessings in the form of creature comforts today. I offer a prayer of thanks.
But my greedy heart yearns for more.
Read More
Noise has always bothered me. The kaboom of Independence Day fireworks made me cower as a child. The roar of the State Fair midway sent me running in search of a saner space as a teenager. And as a 20-something, the frantic buzzing of rush hour traffic while waiting for a bus left me straining for escape.
As an adult,
Read More
How old are you? The blunt question came hurtling out of the blue, from a woman I had met only minutes before.
Read More
I was stunned by the rush of strong feelings that swept over me in that twinkling of a moment. But this was not the first surprise of the day.
It'd been three months since I last made the short drive from my townhouse to church on a Sunday morning. The sun shone, the birds chirped, and the traffic lights cooperated. Yet there was a sense of adventure to the trip, as if I were heading to an exotic destination with iffy directions in hand—no longer on autopilot for a formerly familiar ritual.
Getting ready, I felt out of step, too. No choir or bible study plus a new, staggered-services schedule meant a later departure. Too much time to dither over what to wear or get lost in a crossword puzzle. A second cup of coffee, maybe. Even time for butterflies to breed in my stomach. Strange, having something so basic feel so . . . strange.
Then there was that final weirdness as I rounded the corner and nosed my van toward a spot in the church parking lot, which was mostly empty at this early stage of reopening. As small, socially distanced outdoor clusters of my fellow congregants came into view, the emotions hit. Hard. Like a startling blast from the dashboard A/C. A lump hardened in my throat. Tears misted my vision. Fascinating how the human psyche works.
Read More