Purging a life of knick-knacks and tchotchkes — My husband has been a bit under the weather as of late with a bronchial infection that lingers on. He was a smoker for years and now just smokes the occasional cigar. So there is always this fear of the worst-case scenario. …

2023’s Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Year — Gaslighting. I never heard the word before until 2021 when one of my students, Abbey, claimed I gaslit her after trivializing her feelings. This was after she poured on the tears hoping I would change her final grade from a C to an A. “I need this A. I won’t…

Breaking the cycle — I’m spinning my wheels over and over grinding them into the same grungy Soul Cycle doing the same DAMN THING with little satisfaction hungry as hell and brain fogged from all the intermittent fads I mean fasts So that’s when I decided I had to make me a change quit the spinning classes try…

If you see me staring into space, call 911 — Like many people out there on this burning planet, I suffer from bouts of depression, the type that has me staring into the talking heads on television for days at a time. It’s debilitating. The triggers are the same. The shock and horror of the daily NEWS and the trials…

Fiction — He didn’t mean to hurt the ol’ lady. It just happened. Another crappy day grinding away at work. He puts up with it to pay for the Lexus, the condo on Venice Boardwalk, the family five-bedroom family house, his wife’s alimony, child support, and all the other kid-draining money suckers. …

Collective Reading Group — October is upon us, kids are back at school, and we’re starting to get back into a routine. I hope this includes reading, writing, and supporting each other. Our itinerary is below. Just remember a few things with this Reading Community — you must read as per the time of…

I’m owning this hot mess — I’m a slob in Milan. That’s right. I find myself in Fashion Week because of a glitch in plans. I’m supposed to be in Lake Como, but forecasts of downpours changed my plans. While many fashionistas might like being in Italy for a week of the latest styles, I’m cringing…

A fifteen-minute cycle of heaven, hell, and haikus — I let my guard down. I usually take the stairs because I don’t trust lifts, especially in countries like Croatia, where I’m unfamiliar with the building codes. I am a 68-year-old grandma who travels solo without my partner quite a bit, and for the most part, it is invigorating. Not…

A story story — Pauley is a fixer. If it’s broke, give it to Pauley. He can fix a washer, a TV, a sewing machine, a lawn mower, a record player, a radio, even a Wurlitzer One More Time Jukebox. Why, he even tried fixing Mrs. Elly’s antenna when another lady named Hurricane took…