Proud with a Heavy Heart

Have you ever had an experience where you were elated and heartbroken at the same time? Proud, with a heavy heart? I did recently, at a workshop called Chronic Illness and Gender Confirmation Surgery. I’m going to guess that you have not attended a session about this topic. Neither had I until last weekend. This was […]

Changing my Default on a Glorious Day

It is a beautiful afternoon. The kind that makes me want to twirl and dance in a field, go to a fair, eat ice cream, or hang out by the water with good friends. There is a cloudless blue sky, warm sun, and no humidity. A slight breeze, with a hint of barbecue, wafts over […]

How Do You Wake Up Each Morning?

For many years as I woke up, I would wonder what to do about the uninvited elephant of overwhelm that was sitting on my chest. Or about the adrenaline of nervousness that was coursing through my body. Or, every now and again, how to hold onto the relief of joy and relaxation that I actually […]

Seizures and Serenity

It is amazingly powerful to hear your son tell you that even with all the recent hardships he’s experienced, that today he is thankful. I am visiting Z for a few days and we are sitting on the beach relaxing and chatting. He tells me that he is in such a better place than he […]

I appreciate every minute that my dad knows he’s my Dad.

Dad, I appreciate every minute that you know you’re my Dad. It’s not something that I take for granted and it’s not something that I assume. And although certain things have changed as we travel the journey through Alzheimers together, we still share a soul to soul father-daughter connection, that does not need words to […]

I Believe You (even though it makes me uncomfortable)

I believe you. I don’t want to be that parent who ignores what you’re going through because it gives me anxiety. I don’t want treatment to be withheld from you because of my own blinders. At the same time, I have worked really hard to not live in a “what if” world. I have spent time in that world and it […]

Letting It Be Their Agenda

And finally, when I’ve reached utter frustration and disbelief at the disconnect between us, I try something new.

It’s all about the mindset

The same sky. Similar sounds. But knowing I’m in Rome makes even the ambulance sounds and construction smells feel romantic. Opening my window each morning to look out on the apartment building next door is thrilling. If I was at home, probably not as much. It’s all about my mindset. And the cool part is, I […]