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, […]
Back-to-School Days
I watch the kids walk by while sipping my coffee on the front stoop. Today, there is a crispness to the morning air that stirs memories of the first days of a new school year. Even if you were not the most enthusiastic student, those first days of school invariably were the most exciting ones. […]
Sunday Surprise
We celebrated Robyn’s birthday by extending it from Thursday until Sunday. Our celebration featured plenty of good food and drink, a live performance by the “Drunken Shakespeare” Company, cards, gifts, and cake. By Sunday afternoon we were both exhausted, I think. So, once Robyn departed my home I flipped on the television with every good […]
Music Has the Power
I feel my age every time I hear that another of my favored movie stars, television personalities or musicians has passed, but most of all I feel my age whenever the announcement concerns one of the long-haired musicians who were my contemporaries. In a span of less than two years, it’s goodbye to Robbie Robertson, […]
Kinless
Lee’s death is a seminal event in my life. Her death can still trigger profound grief, yet I am simultaneously full of gratitude for our life together, which is preserved in happy memory. Without her, I deal daily with the reality that I am now over seventy years old and without a wife, or kids, […]
Lola Turns Three
Lee died during the height of the pandemic, which the philosopher, Jonathan Lear, refers to as “the year of isolation,” long months before a vaccine was developed. (See https://news.uchicago.edu/why-mourning-essential-our-well-being-jonathan-lear.) It was a time of unprecedented uncertainty about our future. Everyone felt it. Not coincidentally, the pandemic also created unprecedented demand for animal companions. Suddenly breeders […]