I pick up the phone to hear my sister's voice in mid-reminiscence: "Hey, you know what I remembered today?" "What?" "Remember when we used to go to pick mom up from work, and we'd be sitting in the car waiting…and finally she'd come out, and as she was walking towards us, one of us would say, 'That's my mom!' And the other one would say, 'Hey - that's my mom too!' And then … [Read more...]
Because genetics and fate seem to share a wry sense of humor, I often find myself at uncomfortable family gatherings where I'm one of only a few liberals in a crowd of very outspoken conservatives. It's ironic, given these are exactly the sorts of situations I’ve spent my life avoiding. I’ve got strong convictions, but I was also raised to be polite and to avoid confrontation. … [Read more...]
No sooner had the Thanksgiving leftovers been stowed away than my Facebook feed erupted in verbal fistfights about the language of the holiday season. Evidently, “Happy Holidays” is no longer a gently inclusive expression of good will, but the opening salvo in a new Crusades. And forget about “Xmas” as well, warned an indignant friend who demanded we “keep Christ in Christmas!” … [Read more...]
I've never been a napper. I’ve always been jealous of friends and family who can catch forty winks without breaking a sweat, and frustrated by my inability to rest while the Sun is out. Similar to my wariness of drugs and caution with alcohol, I have resisted the narcotic of sleep except between the socially sanctioned hours of 10 pm and 6 am. With strong Virgo planets and many … [Read more...]
Who are "your people"? You recognize one another the moment you meet. They get your jokes. Your conversations have a cadence that is comfortable, familiar. Generally you share the same values and probably the same politics. It doesn’t matter whether you’ve known each other a few minutes or many years, you get each other. And then there are the Uncomfortable Others to whom … [Read more...]
