These words were said about me a couple of years ago by a woman who I had once considered a close friend. As much as I think she said these words to assign all of the blame of our fractured friendship on me and somehow–in her mind–conclude that her shortcomings were relatively benign, she was […]

Read more "“She Has Boundary Issues”"

Back on January 11th, I started a Facebook group. It was a proactive move to encourage thoughtful debate among the diverse women with whom I share a community. The only requirements for membership were: living in my zip code and being a mother. Our only rule mimicked Fight Club’s first rule, i.e., You don’t talk […]

Read more "And Only 66 Days Later, the Exodus Begins"

On Monday–around noon–I got my nomination papers for the elected position of Library Trustee. It’s a position I held for four years some time ago and a role in town government I truly enjoyed. I was told to get at least forty-two signatures. Forty-two is a rationally related number to the total of registered voters […]

Read more "The Kindness of Others"

I have dreamt the deaths of my four children, each iteration more violent than the last. In my sleep, I’ve felt the heat from detonated hydrogen bombs and breathed the smoke when trapped in burning buildings. I have drowned and been shot. But in general, nightmares come to me on the very rare occasion. I’m […]

Read more "Fear the Trojan Chicken"

Being an adult is hard. Expectations force us to do things we’d rather not; responsibilities require us to participate in activities we’d prefer to avoid; obligations compel us to behave in inauthentic ways. Oh for the days when my biggest challenge was trying to sound esoteric in my term paper on Existential Neomarxism. (Side note: […]

Read more "Envy the Ostrich"

It’s probably not such a good idea to put domestic paperwork into a pile in my writing area. Without fail, I end up not putting important dates onto the calendar; I forget to pay bills; I lose track of “must sign” schoolwork for the children.     Every so often, I’ll tackle “the pile.” I’ll […]

Read more "Picking Through the Pile"

I’m sure that when high school seniors get those acceptance letters from Harvard University there are several among them who figure that someone has pulled a practical joke on them. The crest is easy enough to find on the internet and with today’s high-resolution printers, a dummy letter could be slapped together with ease. Standing […]

Read more "At First I Thought It Might Be a Practical Joke"

This morning I awoke to a curse on my day. It wasn’t some happenstance misfortune. It wasn’t a surprise. The curse was planned, outlined, and executed with precision. I will be spending my day with a special song in my head thanks to my dear, sweet husband who in the late–and unsupervised–small hours of the […]

Read more "The Worm that Keeps on Singing"

The spring season is still many weeks away. The fields remained closed. Most kids and parents haven’t a clue where the uniform and equipment were stored at the end of last season. Doesn’t matter. The posturing, threatening, and grandstanding has begun: parents advocating for their “super-star” to be put on the A Team roster, coaches […]

Read more "The Scummy Underbelly of Kids’ Sports"

While many people chart out their personal objectives based on a triggering event, usually a date like the start of a year, the start of a month, or even a Monday, I’m thwarting convention and picking the second Tuesday in March to set down some goals. As the date is random, so is the order […]

Read more "Everyone Needs Goals for the Day"