In her book of essays, poet Mary Oliver wrote, “…you must not, ever, give anyone else the responsibility for your life.” It’s a lesson I learned the hard way, after breaking free of a very long, unhappy marriage. I learned it once more, as if to make sure I understood…

Are all of these delightful moments too much to ask of life? — I don’t know why finding what we need in life and then being happy with it is so hard. I think most of us want the same things: connection, acceptance, affection, and respect. Love. Like most of the single, straight women I know, I’m still waiting — but I’m no…

And building a future that helps it flourish. — A few years ago I was listening to a writer’s panel discuss the realities of a career in writing. The guest speaker, a handsome, successful writer, was asked, “What advice would you give to someone aspiring to a writing career?” He answered, “Marry someone with a good job, someone who…

He wants to stay for a month, but a month is a long time to spend with a complete stranger. And my recent experience with a BnB guest who had to be forcefully evicted by my beefy next-door neighbor hasn’t left me in a trusting state of mind. “OK…but we’ll…

Wildlife Sightings and a Life Well-Lived — Tiny fox ears poke above the tangled grapevines, Circle of fawn lays invisible beneath my feet in mid-air, Flying ermine arcs past my lunch spot, lands on mouse, White head and bold eyes poke above the snow. Dappled-sunlight-spots surprise us on the cliff’s edge. …

Let’s Change That, Okay? — Covid-19, Climate Change, or the wisdom of choosing Doctor Google as your PHP, take your pick. Americans argue about everything, these days, and we feel more divided than ever. How serious our division truly is depends on a look at the statistics — and that involves understanding a little about…

Go ahead — we’re waiting — Searching for photos with the tag “narcissist,” Unsplash came up with multiple photos of daffodils, Narcissus, along with this photo, which captures perfectly my sentiments about my thirty-year-long marriage to a man with strong narcissistic tendencies. But that man is not all bad, and I believe, with the right help…

Does Being Less Angry Qualify as Happy? Or, is there more? — I commented the other day to my son that I don’t hate his father, and that every human has a right to be happy. My husband wasn’t. And now that he’s not my husband, but someone else’s, he is. That’s when my son said, “And you’re happy, too.” That took…

So, what are we doing about it? — We need to take nurses seriously, before no one wants to take care of us. Nurses, mostly female, are normal human beings. We’re not superhuman, and we’re not robots. We are vulnerable. We feel things. We experience trauma. Sometimes, we need help to deal with it — but we almost…