Ahhh, the holiday season. That special time of year when too many people over-stress, over-shop, and over-spend, all for the sake of giving the perfect gifts. Do we select a gift from a mass-produced list that goes to other family members, or perhaps something a bit more special? Maybe we chose something the gift receiver wouldn’t purchase, or an item they didn’t even know they needed, but we wanted to buy. Maybe the question to ask is “why am I giving this gift in the first place, and what Continue Reading
My life as a cat
Like a million other homes in the United States, COVID recently barged through our front door. It was a souvenir from our recent trip. I don’t blame the cruise – they were impeccable in their cleaning, the staff was always masked, and they had high standards for testing and vaccinations for the passengers. No, I blame the flying experience. I will never look at an airport as anything other than a petri dish of micro-organisms, and an airplane as a test tube of smoldering gases and solids, all Continue Reading
Get outta my head, Paula Abdul
Insomnia. Who doesn't suffer from it occasionally? It is the frustrating inability to get to sleep, stay asleep, or go back to sleep after waking up too early. Many times, it’s caused by stress or anxiety, but not always. It would be safe for me to say that every single post-menopausal woman I know (okay, maybe not every one) wrestles with insomnia, and stress or anxiety doesn’t play into it. Not every night, maybe not every week, but often enough to have it dictate what they’re preparing for Continue Reading
No trauma, just drama
Perfect conditions It was time for the great adventure, Kayaking 101. The temperature was around 80, clear blue sky, the slightest of a breeze. As soon as Kathy and I saw our guide, we simultaneously let out a whew. Johnny had some size, and he’d be able to save us. Further, he had the calmest, friendliest disposition you could want when your anxiety is creeping past the take three deep breaths stage. These were the perfect conditions for our first kayaking experience. After the brief Continue Reading