I was late to picking up the Sudoku fad, but when I tore my ACL 11 years ago, had surgery and went through months of PT to regain (nearly all) of my range of motion, I started playing. It was perfect to help me deal with the time I was sitting waiting around for a […]
Being a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Eastern Caribbean may have been the toughest job I ever loved, but my favourite job here in the US, hands down, has to be my five years spent as a Peace Corps Regional Recruitment Representative (1994-99) out of first the Detroit office and then, when regions were consolidated […]
Social Media Guru, Marie, at Journeying Beyond Breast Cancer reminded us in an earlier post, that today is International Social Media Day. Especially during this time of COVID, where I have upped my use of Social Media tenfold, I thought reposting this piece from 2014 was a fun blast from the past. How Did You […]
Some of you may remember my first post of 2020 about Vandas & Vacuums & Welcoming in a New Year where I was marveling that my Vanda orchid had finally bloomed after nearly two years. A plant that can blossom twice a year, I had actually given up on mine ever flowering and so was […]
Last week, I mentioned that I tried therapy during my early years of teaching in Chicago; however, I didn’t stay with it long because I didn’t feel my concerns were being addressed. Basically, my therapists were leading me to look at my life as if there was something severely wrong with it and with the […]
Check my reflex When I was 2 or 3, we were visiting close family friends and there was a fire across the street, with lots of fire trucks and emergency personnel showing up on the scene. The fire was big and afterwards, every time I heard a siren, I’d start to become anxious and cry. […]
I was raised in the American Midwest by parents whose definition of being punctual is to show up to a gathering or obligation (or for a weekend visit!) at least 20-30 minutes early. When I worked part time as a high school and college student, being on time was showing up at least 10-15 minutes […]
Check your PTSD people. Last Monday night I had a totally different direction mapped out in my head for this week’s post. I had read a column over the weekend about an author’s ‘likes’ so far during the pandemic and I myself attended a really upbeat Coping with COVID Zoom session on Monday evening where […]
Culture Shock Many people who enter and live in a new culture for more than a month experience what has been labeled “culture shock.” This means the newcomer will experience feelings such as not belonging, alienation, unworthiness or inadequacy and may lose touch with his or her own real feelings. In many ways, the person […]
So, this post is for my mom. Simply put, my mom is a beautiful lady. However, that doesn’t even begin to describe just how layered that statement is in truth. This woman has taught me much more than she ever receives credit–such as the importance of family and friends and building community wherever you are […]
