Category Archives: Writings

In a miserable mood, I told Dave, “The only answer is to go for a run.” I’d missed the pre-work, 65-degree, shaded morning cool, which meant the midday sun was in full golden glory—86 degrees and unrelenting. I walked most of the second mile and felt a mix of failure and success. I did it—butContinue reading “A Frog’s Patootie”

I want this day to last longer. To watch the crows’ about-face strut to eat peanuts in the yard, to plant tomatoes, to browse and shop for patio furniture, to listen to the extra-loud cardinal’s call, to mix up ingredients for another sourdough recipe, and to contemplate—deeply—what I care about, what I don’t, and why.Continue reading “The Act of Notting”

The sting of the higher price tag is replaced by euphoria. A power tool with real power—the cord whipping at what feels like a gajillion miles per hour, obliterating weeds, dirt, and rocks in its path—and a battery that could power a spaceship to Mars fueled the smile on my spring-sprucing face. Then Dave attackedContinue reading “Around the World”

Placing a chair back in its place on the front porch at the day’s end, I saw a phone’s light bobbing through the lawn. Unable to see who it was—and assuming it was Dave—I called out, “Who’s there?” “Hudson,” came the reply. My nephew. He was coming to take Grandma and Grandpa’s car back nextContinue reading “For the Love of Breathing”

🙂 Love, Jaclynn

Thanks to the attendant of Universal Studios’ Trollercoaster, our ease and enjoyment of the park went up by two notches. After overhearing Evelyn say she didn’t want to sit in the back, she pulled us from the line and placed us right at the front of the coaster for the next ride. Then, when aContinue reading “A Fairy Godmother Appears”

I tend to juggle too many balls. It’s no wonder I feel resentful or disengage when a request comes my way. How dare someone ask that? I don’t have that to give. My chest seems to agree as I type—pinging like flicked nerves, nodding along: yes, you do this; yes, it’s limiting you; and no,Continue reading “An Invitation to Grow”

“Bippity Boppity Broke.”“Happy Never After.” Just a couple of the less-than-magical t-shirts I spotted around the Disney parks yesterday and today—on dads, no less. The “Never After” one, with Grumpy the Dwarf on it, I thought was especially clever. With two of five park days down, we’ve learned some lessons. First: don’t do two bigContinue reading “Doing Disney Our Way”