My nephew predictably had waited until Sunday afternoon to notify me that he was hosting a birthday dinner for his twelve-year-old daughter and her fourteen-year-old brother on Tuesday evening at the retirement home where their grandfather resides. I didn’t feel slighted. Members of my small, odd family tend to operate on such an ad hoc […]
About Gary Ravitz
Thanksgiving Then and Now
As in most families, our Thanksgiving traditions had their own rhythms. We’d gather at mom and dads’ place around mid-afternoon. You could count on my sister to arrive on time except when she arrived early. I, on the other hand, at least while I remained unmarried, could be counted upon to shuffle by later. First […]
One Thousand Five Hundred Twenty-Seven
It’s a recurring theme for me: something occurs that roils my emotional waters, instantly flooding me with dark memories of grief-filled days when the icy reality of Lee’s death occupied my every waking moment. Such emotional waves are not connected to a specific date, place, or occasion, but rather surface unexpectedly, and can be triggered […]
Green Pastures
It had rained non-stop from Illinois and Indiana through Ohio and Kentucky, into parts of Tennessee, crisscrossing the Great Smokey Mountains. A challenging stretch of road for two flatlanders but we managed a steady clip. We were in North Carolina before we caught the first glimpse of blue sky and sunshine. Suddenly, on one side […]
Halloween Candy ( Revisited)
I am on the road this week on a new adventure with Robyn and Lola the pup. With “All Hallows’ Eve” taking place this past Tuesday, it seems to me an appropriate time to reprise this seasonal chestnut. — Gary *** Every year about this same time, television stations roll out their catalogues of scary […]
A Late Breakfast With a Professional Driver
Lee’s brother Paul is a retired fellow who occasionally needed to get out of his house. Therefore, about a year back, he started driving part time, two or three days a week, with Lyft. Paul and Joanne still reside in the suburbs (when not staying at their Michigan lake house), but he drives mainly here […]
Why the Rush?
This past week a friend of mine inquired whether I might be free to have dinner with him. I was fairly sure that I was free but reflexively responded that I first needed to check my “busy” calendar. I was not trying to be flippant. In fact, despite my de facto retirement from the practice […]
An Uneasy Feeling
Today was a “spa” day, that special day that only comes around three or four times each year when I go for a fancy haircut and treat myself to a soothing pedicure. Spa days are all about comfort and relaxation. As I walked home on this lovely morning, however, strangely I was agitated and felt […]
The One That Got Away
Readers of these Thursday posts might recognize Crag and Donna as two of my oldest and dearest friends—our friendship dates back fifty years, and I have written about them here several times. But I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned that for as long as I’ve known Craig it has been his dream to have a […]
Loneliness
Gary is out today but this is a post worth re-reading that Gary did in May talking about Loneliness. As a widower, I make the effort to cultivate my friendships and acquaintances. By doing so I hope to avoid the loneliness and disconnection that seems to be pervasive. The unfavorable outcomes of loneliness are […]
Other Pathways
Lately, I have taken to reading random Widow’s Blog posts, which are maintained in the Soaring Spirits archives, by authors who have come and gone from this site. Initially, I mainly was interested in determining what the average shelf life was for these writers while I mulled whether my own has about run its course. […]
Maintaining the Status Quo
I received a notification that I had a new message on MyChart. This message was a routine request from the office of a doctor with whom I am meeting later this month, requesting me to review and verify personal account information. While doing so I realized that Lee remains listed there as my emergency contact, […]