I'm a chronic list maker. The first entry of my first diary features a list called "What's hanging over my head." I'd have to unearth the original text which is somewhere in a Rubbermaid storage bin to tell you exactly what was hanging over my head in 1987; I had literally zero chores or responsibilities … Continue reading Best books of 2020 (and thoughts on bananas and finding pleasure during a pandemic)

When I was in high school my mom told my guidance counselor I was tenacious. We were gathered together in the guidance counselor's office, surrounded by glossy catalogs featuring vibrant New England fall backdrops and bright-eyed, J. Crew clad students, talking about safety schools and reach schools when I glanced at the questionnaire my parents … Continue reading Gentle scares me

Pandemic-ing When this started I thought I was secretly pleased with myself because I was not naive enough to imagine our kids would go back to school before the end of the year. "I don't see us going back until the fall," I'd said, cynical and so sure of myself. That was cute. Our district … Continue reading Notes from The Tail-end of The Strangest Summer on Record

Listening I went to a women's leadership conference B.C. (before corona) where I participated in an active listening workshop. We were instructed to pair up and take turns talking to our partner. When it was your turn to listen, your job was to focus all of your attention on the speaker. You weren't supposed to … Continue reading On Listening and a Quick Update

On a good day I'm happy that if I have to be on lockdown, at least I'm quarantining with my three favorite people and this is happening at a time when my kids are old enough to make their own cereal and not so old they think everything I say is idiotic. On a bad … Continue reading This is everything I know about getting out of a bad pandemic mood and freelance writing