“Hey, you got a card from someone,” The Climbing Daddy said one day last week when he brought in the mail. There wasn’t an occasion or anything attached to it—just a card that said, in sum, “I’m glad our paths crossed” from a relatively new friend. It was lovely. It made my day. I have … Read more
I was in a writing group. We were generally friendly, offered feedback to each other on our work with both give and take on “negative” feedback. (So grateful for that. Can’t get better without constructive criticism, and we, culturally, are extremely averse to it.) One person in the group was extremely unpleasant. Would talk much … Read more
For a few years now, I’ve received “Notes from the Universe” in my email. Sometimes I read them and hit delete and that’s that. Sometimes I read them and smile and hit delete and that’s that. Sometimes I read them and they hit me just the right way. Or the wrong way. Or both. Here’s … Read more
Is it an introvert thing or a thing of people with social anxiety to hate making phone calls? I recognize it’s irrational, and I generally don’t mind talking on the phone once I’m engaged in a conversation, but making a call? Terrible. A week prior, a friend had texted. “Have you talked to [mutual friend] … Read more
Tempe Town Lake is a man-made lake not far from here where you can use a paddleboat or a kayak or go fishing. It’s also a popular location for triathlons. The water is not crystalline. When I swam in Tempe Town Lake, I couldn’t see my hand at the end of my completely outstretched arm. … Read more
In a conversation on Zoom this morning, we chatted about staying on track with work and life. A system I guess-and-checked my way into is working really well for me right now and seemed to resonate with others, so I thought I’d share it with you. Take what resonates, leave the rest. First, I made … Read more
I wrote in May about sharing things you feel good about on social media—getting exercise, baking, creating art. (You can revisit that post here.) At the end of that post, I indicated I had a tangent from it that I would share tomorrow. I have a huge stash of drafts. Some just notes. Some partially … Read more
My great-aunt apparently drove later in her life than she should have. I never rode in a car with her but I remember overhearing grownups laughing that she was like Mr. Magoo, where she always turned out fine but there was a trail of chaos behind her. We’re not always aware of the effect we … Read more
In a normal year, my social media feed would be full of posts from music teacher friends and parents of music students. It’s concert season. Band, orchestra, choir, drama, and others. Schools, churches, and others. Cute little ones, well-refined older ones, the ones in between who have neither the charm of the littles nor the … Read more
There are quite a few memes circulating, as usual, that no one cares about your bread/run/anything they’re not doing. I assume the person posting doesn’t care about them*, but that’s not generalize-able to “no one” or “everyone.” I know personally half a dozen people who have made recipes in the last month that a friend … Read more