"How lucky I am to have known somebody and something that saying goodbye to was so damned awful." — Jill Kinmont, "The Other Side of the Mountain" I've just returned from an epic trip involving cross-country flights, road trips up and down the California coast, and a three-day voyage in the sleeper car of an Amtrak train. All but the last day and a half were wonderful. I saw … [Read more...] about From The Deep End: Emptiness has a presence
Lifestyle
The Sober Widow: Toxic positivity
Recently, someone mentioned that I might fall into this category. I was shocked, as I hadn’t heard of this term. My good friend Google tells me that Toxic Positivity is “the belief that people should maintain a positive mindset no matter how dire or difficult a situation is. While there are benefits to being optimistic and engaging in positive thinking, toxic positivity rejects … [Read more...] about The Sober Widow: Toxic positivity
From The Deep End: I’m nicer than I appear
"First impressions are always unreliable." — Franz Kafka A quote from Kafka on first impressions struck me this week because his novel The Metamorphosis required reading in college. It's about a man who wakes up one morning with a completely new body: that of a "monstrous vermin," which scholars have described as similar to a gigantic praying mantis. While this quote … [Read more...] about From The Deep End: I’m nicer than I appear
From The Deep End: What do you know?
"To know what you know, and what you do not know, that is true knowledge." — Confucius I didn't know until recently that Confucius is not pronounced "Confuse us," even if I think it should be. I had a friend once who always told me, "It's a poor day that you don't learn something new," so now I know. I'd hate to meet the guy and not know how to address him properly, … [Read more...] about From The Deep End: What do you know?
The Sober Widow: This will pass
Lisa Fama (Caution: some graphic content ahead) A few months ago, I saw a piece of art on Facebook Marketplace of a mermaid tail made of shells with the saying “She is tossed by the waves but does not sink.” I drove to Amesbury to buy it because it spoke to me. After having lost my husband and gone through a life-threatening illness, I developed a mantra: “this will … [Read more...] about The Sober Widow: This will pass