It happens. The high starts to wear off when you leave the hotel. The chocolates on the pillows turn into wrappers in the dustbin, the rich meals become a decadent memory (and maybe an extra pound on the waistline, truth be told). If the weekend is especially delicious, the high lasts a little longer, but eventually, all good things come to an end. You come home and realize that indeed, after the ecstasy, there really is laundry. A lot of... Read more
It was Friday evening, the 5th of July. Frustrated by a house that was a little too humid and clothes that were a little too sticky, I decided to go for a walk down to Boswell Book Company and the adjoining Starbucks and see if I couldn’t get some writing done there. I had high hopes. Surely a change of venue would jump-start my pen. I load up my purse with a pen and notepad, and the magazine I’m currently... Read more
Being fully present, fully alive to the moment, is the only way to really live. When I give myself the present, that awareness, that mindfulness, I am also giving myself a present. It is only during this moment that I can be fully appreciative of the things surrounding me. This is the time for gratitude. Right. Now. This is the moment. And this is the moment. And this is the moment. I am writing this now. I did not write... Read more
Seems like just yesterday… Five years ago today, I started writing this blog. It’s both hard and easy to believe. Some entries have flowed from my pen like water. Others, less so. I’d like to have more of the former, but who wouldn’t. Instead, I’m going to just plug away and have more entries. Period. I’d like to thank you, my readers. Your comments and positive thoughts have really helped. More than I thought. Let’s hear it for another five... Read more
Life is hard. I know that. I’ve been there, done that. My God, how I have been there and done that. But now, now I’m the happy one, the one for whom life is good, so good. And it’s easy to forget that some people are just faking it. Just faking that happy face. Going about their jobs, their home lives, their times with family; the dial set to the comfortable smile channel, the easy laughter station. Inside, though, they’re... Read more
“When I saw you, I just thought you were so beautiful.” My God. I thought my heart was going to burst out of my chest. I couldn’t believe it. I mean, I’m one of the lucky ones, those blessed among women, those who are gifted with attractiveness. But when he told me that, I just went dumb. I had no words. I didn’t know what to say. Not because I hadn’t heard it before. But because he meant it. That... Read more
Koladera rhythm model (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Well, as a Catholic, you can probably guess where this is going. But you’d be wrong, though that was pretty tempting. But I had, really, no idea what I’d talk about for five minutes. Le sigh… Our lives are filled with every kind of rhythm, and once you become attuned to it, there’s no going back. From the undercurrent of our body’s autonomic functions like breathing and heartbeat, to the surrounding beat of footsteps,... Read more
No telephone psychic, no gypsy fortuneteller, no prophet of Biblical renown could have predicted it. What? (No, not the Duchess of Cambridge’s due date!) Just how wonderful my life is now that I’m on Lithium. I realized it when walking home from the psychiatrist this afternoon. Ambling along in all the beauty of an early summer day in Milwaukee; idly munching some veggie focaccia from The Breadsmith. I have the Most. Wonderful. Life. Evah! It’s almost hard for me to... Read more
My goodness! It’s only 7:35 a.m., and it’s already one of the best birthdays I’ve ever had. (No, silly reader, no one in bed with me! Naughty!) Lithium is one of the best things that ever happened to me. I started about a month ago, and after a few days of queasy stomach, felt better than I have in years! I mean, I can hardly believe it, but it’s true. I’m as happy as a clam, with none of the... Read more
My heels click smartly on the highly polished floor as I wander the lobby while waiting for you to check us in. "You really are nervous," a touch of amazement tinges your voice as you take my hand in the elevator and find it’s shaking. No one else is in the elevator, but you don’t kiss me. "I always tell people that nervousness is a sign you care. That if you didn’t give a rip, you’d never be nervous…" Even... Read more
After the Ecstasy, the Laundry...
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