As a child, I imagined my body as a construction site. I am not sure where this originated, but I believed tiny workers in hardhats were throughout my body and in charge of my significant systems. If I had a stomach ache, I would say, “The guys in my tummy are working hard today.” Weird?…
If I were eleven, I would smell like sweat and sunscreen. I would live in a neighborhood with a windy road and a hill so I could ride my bike, the blue one with the peeling sticker, and never get bored. My bike would have a broken kickstand. I’d have to lay it near the…
The maintenance guy thinks I’m a serial killer. We’ve had some issues with our smoke detectors going off at random intervals, and the joys of apartment life allow for a quick email to the maintenance department. A lovely man arrived yesterday. He changed some batteries. I stood with him under the alarm near my office…
I watched a show on Netflix that took place in Philadelphia. The woman was on a bus, and she pulled the cord to alert the driver to her stop. I remember doing that, knowing that. I didn’t take the bus a lot growing up. I don’t ride the bus now, but I know about the…
Jack caught a squirrel. He has been watching them tightrope across the back fence, fling themselves from tree to rooftop and back again since we arrived one August afternoon. Jack tracks his audacious furry obsession from the window of my office. He attempts to outsmart them with a quiet approach and a sneak attack, only…
My first car was a yellow 1973 AMC Gremlin with wood paneling and a bad Kmart stereo. My new car is a 2019 Yellow Jeep Wrangler with leather seats and CarPlay. My Gremlin used to backfire and eventually caught on fire. My Jeep can drive over anything and texts me when I need to change…
It is the first day of February, and I am happy to announce—drum roll please— I have learned how to knit. Garter stitch, stockinette, cast on, and bind off. Yeah, I know those words now. I took a knitting class with two other women who were far more advanced than me. Honestly, I’m not sure…
I learn things about myself and my world every day I lift my head from the pillow. Every day. But when I travel I am moved in ways good and bad that elevate my journey. I’ve returned from Amsterdam and here is what I have learned. I prefer the country to the city. I used…
I used to always sit in the front of the room. The front was the power position. Where the talented people lived. New school year, new job, I boldly walked to the front. Convinced the world needed me and certain I needed recognition. My notes were works of art, everything dotted and crossed. If someone wanted…