My Socially Distanced Summer
What does a travel bug do in the era of COVID? She agrees to a road trip, roof-top tent, and, an activity once strictly off-limits: camping. These are desperate times. We wouldn’t get on a plane; hotels made us squeamish and the prospect of another three months cooped up at home was not an option. […]
Surrender in the New World
I woke up this morning early, slipping out of bed to make coffee, meditate and get ready for a new day. The robins wake me; their song permission to get out of bed. I tiptoe to the kitchen, turn the kettle on and stare at the pot, waiting for hot water. The cups and French […]
Homecoming in Jersey
As the train pulled into the Hamilton, New Jersey, I suddenly felt ill. I looked at Herb, stricken. “I think I’m gonna throw up!” I moaned, “I’m scared!” Waiting to meet us at the station were my three half-siblings, Darlene, Lorie, and Tony. We’d discovered each other via ancestry.com “Hi Tina, my name is Darlene […]
Everything Changes
I know change is inevitable and yet, I still resist and deny it when it arrives. I’m not sure why I insist on giving change such a bad rap because, in truth, change has been my life long friend. Change helped me find the courage to leave an abusive man with no real home and […]
21 Days in New Zealand
I’m lucky. I know it. The word is literally tattooed on my body. As someone who never traveled until she was in her mid-forties, I’ve been making up for lost time, especially in the past few years since I met my husband. The rate of that travel has accelerated recently because last year life acutely […]
February Morning
Morning, quiet, dark, solitary has been my favorite time of day since I had kids. Sometimes it would be just me and my baby, nursing, quietly in a chair, my eyes focused on this miracle at my breast, so tiny and vulnerable and my heart would clinch tight and an immeasurable sadness would grip […]
The Price of Fear
Preparing this blog in honor of the full moon reminded me of another retreat, in Belize. We didn’t have a full moon that week, in fact, there was just a sliver, so the stars showed bright and clear. After dinner, I often walked down the beach to explore nearby docks and enjoy looking up. […]
Why I’ve Decided Not To Age
Recently Herb and I went out on a date. We wanted to try a new, hot restaurant called 1900 so we made a reservation. Good news? We got in. Bad news? The only thing left open was at 6:00 pm. Now that might explain what happened next, but it was still shocking, and unwelcome, and […]
In Praise of the Learner
Perhaps the better title would be “in praise of the teacher” because who is the student without our teachers? We can all name people that have impacted our lives in a profound and lasting way; people who’ve shown up in our lives, expected and unexpected to change the way we think about ourselves, our capabilities […]
Mother Issues
I wish I didn’t but I do. I have issues; more than a couple. I’m a fifty-eight-year-old woman; I understand the nature of personal responsibility and don’t play the victim. There are simply facts that have influenced who I am and how I live in the world; one of the larger issues being my […]
