Several evenings ago, I was working upstairs, and Stephen was preparing dinner downstairs, when he called me to come help him. “What is it?” I yelled, hoping to have time to finish the page I was writing. “Just come!” he said quietly but definitively. So …
Driving to a picnic with some friends, old and new, Genvieve, a seamstress told a story. The day before, a young woman in a wheelchair had come into her shop. She had admired a skirt and top in the window and wondered if she could …
I had what I can only describe as a “big” experience yesterday. Stephen and I visited the Chateau de Boneguil, about 40 minutes by car from Pujols, where we are staying. Boneguil is a fortified castle, built at the top of a rocky promontory, first …
We used to subscribe to both the New York Times and the San Francisco Chronicle, but I stopped reading newspapers a while ago. Nothing good seemed to be happening in the world, and spending an hour each morning on the newspaper felt ill advised. I …
Yesterday, to celebrate his birthday, my husband and I walked the pedestrian trail on the Bay Bridge. From where we began in Oakland to Yerba Buena Island, where the trail ends, measures about three miles. For about two and a half of those miles, we …
I’ve become very dependent on my Zojirushi travel mug to deliver hot tea throughout the day. Unlike Stephen, who prefers his beverages lukewarm, I like mine piping hot. And while most of the mugs I’ve tried are not up to the task, Zojirushi does the …
I was recently asked by Mindful Magazine to create a series of gratitude prompts. I was pleased with the assignment, although gratitude lists are not a strategy I find all that useful. If and when I’m feeling really down, listing what I can be grateful …
I went to my first musical concerts in high school with my boyfriend, who was passionate about music and a talented singer. We began attending performances by the Philadelphia Orchestra, led by Eugene Ormandy, in Orchestra Hall in downtown Philadelphia. The affordable tickets were in …
I never know when small is going to give me a boost. Or more than a boost. At times, practicing small can lead to euphoria. For many years, my mother and I had a very unhappy relationship, and I carried a great deal of resentment—let …
My driver’s license has been a large concern for the past few months. I was due to retake the written test over a year ago, which fell in the middle of Covid. The DMV extended all licenses for six months, and I obtained an official …