It’s a hell of a thing when a week contains both the anniversary of your spouse’s death and Valentines day. Super Bowl Sunday I went over to my mom’s house. At some point while watching the game, she said, “It’s been exactly 6 months since your dad passed.” She was quiet for a little bit […]
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Western Valentines
Robyn arrived here in Tucson just before midnight on Saturday. Through Wednesday afternoon we hiked, shopped, gambled, visited friends, kissed and hugged, and sampled the best that Tucson has to offer, despite Robyn repeating she still hates this place. Oh, well, I guess one can’t please everybody, not to mention we have big plans for […]
On St. Valentine’s Day
A Valentine of the One Left Behind What does one do about Valentine’s day If you are the one left behind? It feels pretty wretched when February returns and Saint Valentine’s Day marks time. “Remember when we went to Running Springs?” I ask, recalling the cabin’s surprise. “When you mused about dead flowers in bowls […]
Haircuts and Control
The last few weeks I have been feeling anxious on a broad scale. We all know there is a limit to what we can control. The death of a loved one is a sharp reminder of that fact. To combat my anxiety, I have been taking steps to put my house in order. Doing what […]
Halftime
Many years ago, in February of 2005, to be exact, on Superbowl Sunday; Don Shepherd packed up his entire life into a Penske truck attached to his car, and drove with his cat Isabelle in his lap from Florida to New Jersey, to begin a new life with me. Our friends came over to help […]
The Art of Being Nowhere
I thank the many who reached out last week to help me honor the birthday of my late husband, Rich. I won’t reveal his age because he will haunt me. When I met Rich he was just turning 50. He and I participated in a large and very popular art event and fundraiser each year […]
4 Year Anniversary
As we’re coming up on the 4th anniversary of Mario’s grand exit from this life, I’m thinking back to Feb 10th, 2021 and where I was, mentally and emotionally. I’m just going to repurpose something I wrote back then. I’ve since expanded on some of the memories and adventures mentioned in other posts, but there […]
In the Land of the Lotus Eaters
Pickleball or pedicure? Reporting from the desert, it is today’s burning question. Meanwhile, earlier this morning Robyn mentioned an ice storm is a possibility back home. Nothing major as ice storms go, mind you, but even an icy veneer will cause fender benders, clog gutters, freeze exterior doors and gates. Walking to your train or […]
The One and the Many
Tai Chi and Widowhood The year twenty twenty-five is the year of Tai Chi for me. On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 10am, my friend and I step into a room with about twenty other seniors and follow the instructors as they lead us through a half-hour practice of Tai Chi. Classes are about 10 […]
Sea of Serendipity
A repost! Whew! It has been a hectic few weeks. I feel like I’m always in survival go-go-go mode where I’m just going through the motions of doing things without really being fully present in what I’m doing. I guess it comes with the territory of being a solo parent. Lately, I’ve been trying to […]
Let Them
Last week I jumped on the bandwagon and listened to the book “The Let Them Theory” by Mel Robbins. I was intrigued after hearing a teaser online. Grief is usually the only self-help style book I pick up and finish. I downloaded the audiobook, set it at 1.4x speed and I was off to the […]
Interlocking Grief
Lately, Ive been thinking about all the strange ways that grief intersects and interlocks, and how our losses affect us in so many new and different ways as we keep living our lives. I have talked here before about my first love, my first kiss, my high school prom date, the boy I was friends […]