Bandaids are not Stickers
The point was not that bandaids actually made anything better, but that they made my kids feel better. It didn’t matter that the skin hadn’t been broken or that the source of their pain was invisible - a bandaid brought comfort.
to whom it may concern
i don’t think that’s what he was warning me about when he told me i could overdose.
ER Memories
When my friend’s son (ok, it was Amy’s son) leapt for an interception and landed in the ER, I headed out to lend moral support. Honestly, it was as much for me, to hug Amy and all her kids, and see if I could help. Here’s the rub…it was the local hospital where I spent my career. A little more than half my lifetime so far.
When Words aren’t Enough
What was a national tragedy 20 years ago is another weekend in America in 2019. Schools, churches, nightclubs, outdoor festivals, stores. Bodies fallen in the midst of everyday activities; blood splattered in formerly safe spaces. Do any safe spaces remain?
Camel
As a heart-opener, camel requires a special element of trust, both in the universe and in the self. It demands a willingness to be vulnerable, to bare the throat and let it hang long and loose. It demands a willingness to expose the heart, to set it free and trust it to fly without fleeing the body.
the addict
i wish i could go back and tell you:
behind bathroom doors
behind bathroom doors, rumors uttered under breath
Spine transplant and yoga?
Why do I like to picture myself as tall and why do I perceive that as “better”? What part of my personality reflects a tall image? Perhaps it’s about the clothes (yes). Perhaps it’s about the sense of self I perceive tall women possessing - presence, confidence, authority.
My Truth – More than Chronic Pain
Sometimes I rail against the unfairness of it. Why me? Yet the question remains unanswered, the feeling, unproductive. My choice is to carve some meaning out of what is too far past to change.
So This is the Middle?
I didn’t know about the middle. The middle is tricky – a paradox. The in-between is filled with cognitive dissonance and fluctuating desires.
What Happened at 50
Fifty is not such a big number, at least when talking about dollars or books or even sit-ups. But in terms of years in a lifetime, it takes on greater significance.
the breath between apologies
she burned her cigarette lips and truths into my forehead, asked me to forget