“You need to give her permission to go,” Maxine, the hospice nurse urged us.
We were gathered at my grandmother’s home for a final visit. Coming together for this purpose was sad but it was also more joyful than I could have imagined. We sat with her and shared stories, photos, laughter. It was good to be together.
I had flown down……
It was a blistering August day in Los Angeles. I fled the heat with my newborn son for that haven of air conditioned air: The mall. Shopping wasn’t an option — funds were tight for our little family. But the cool air and wide walkways were free (to us) and I could look, right? I nestled my tiny munchkin into……
In my family, whenever a question arises that we don’t know the answer to, someone will invariably say, mock-wistfully, “If only there was a way to find out!” – usually while everyone is already reaching for their phones, gunslinger style, to see who’s fastest on the draw. I’m as guilty of it as anyone. Knowing things that others don’t is an addictive pleasure. Bam!……
Sitting in the open door of the airplane. Nearly fourteen thousand feet below my dangling toes, the lovely Washington coast is a green and blue abstract.
I know I am going to die.
And I couldn’t be happier.
From the time we first encounter death – usually the loss of a pet or a grandparent as a child – we all know we’re……
I turned 60 today and there are some things I wish I could have told my 50-year-old self. She was so worried.
Dear me,
Hey there, 50! It’s me, 60. Still alive, as you can see.
You spent the whole year leading up to your 50th birthday in a stew of worry: What tortures does menopause have in store for me? Will I……
I mean it. Stop it right now.
I know you meant it as a compliment, but it’s not. When people call me “young at heart” they mean something like active, adventurous, creative, involved. How remarkable for someone who is, well, (whispered) old!
Calling an old person “young at heart” — or calling a young person “old before his time” for that matter —……
I play in a band.
What does this have to do with warm cookies, you ask? Patience, grasshopper. We’ll get there.
It was just three days before an important gig when my amp started acting up — crackling and buzzing instead of nice clean music. I called my local repair shop and explained the problem.
“Probably a loose connection. Bring it in,” he……
I recently became the owner of a Paderno Vegetable Spiral Slicer — or “spiralizer” for short. I’ve been wanting to eat healthier — more veggies, fewer processed carbs — but I didn’t seem to be cut out for a life without pasta. Until now. The spiralizer turns any cylindrical veg (zucchini works best) into something that actually passes for spaghetti…….
I am waiting for bad news. Or good news.
It’s not something I’m very good at – waiting. I can’t just put things I’m worried about out of my mind and get on with the day.
What I’m waiting for is a test result. In a week or so, my 29-year-old son will learn if he inherited the BRCA1 genetic mutation from……
(Note: Originally published on Huffington Post)
If you’ve played in a working band, you’ve been through the routine a thousand times. Pull in at a club, haul your gear in, set up and hope you have time to check the sound before downbeat. Below is a list of things no participant at a sound check said. Ever.
From the band leader:
The levels……
All my writing from Huffington Post is copied here. If you’d prefer you can still read it on HuffPo, but going forward, I’ll be blogging here instead. Enjoy!
