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10 Things My Mother Taught Me
*Today’s post is from Mother’s Day 2011 as it’s one of my favorite Mother’s Day posts, and it still holds true. Happy Mother’s Day to all my readers who have joined the rank of “Mom”, whichever way brought you here.* There are SO many things we learn from our mothers: to tie our shoes, to say “please” and “thank you”, how to cook (coughs), to be kind to others. Really, we learn to be good humans, if we are fortunate enough to be blessed with a loving, caring mother. So in narrowing down the list, I decided to skip the obvious things and go with those that really resonate…
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Just Go Down the Chute: An Indecisive Introvert’s Mantra
What should I be when I grow up? Do I stay an extra day while I’m on my trip? Should I rebrand the blog? I need a new Twitter handle – what should I change it to? Be it a big question (life goals) or a small one (do I get the fish or the pasta?), I all too often get easily and stupidly overwhelmed. “Why”, you may ask? I overthink EVERYTHING. It took me a long time to realize that this is primarily rooted in fear. Fear of the unknown? Maybe. Fear of making the wrong decision? Fear of looking STUPID? Totally. So I research. I Google. I ask questions. I…
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Writers’ Workshop: Afraid of Heights
I was a shy, timid, anxious kid. Not surprisingly, as I have recently clarified, I am an anxious adult. I am also an introvert. Not much has changed in what I’m afraid of, because of said personality traits. I was afraid of heights. Well, it’s not so much heights I’m afraid of (I worked on the 92nd floor of the Sears Tower for a while). It’s the fear of falling. Basophobia. I read that it is common in nearly all people and animals, so I guess my fear is BIGGER than most. For example: On a family vacation one year, we went to New York and visited the Statue of…
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How Erma Helped Me to Reclaim My Focus and Boot Dolores
On the decorative cork board hanging beside my desk you’ll find this quote from Erma Bombeck: Writer’s block is just another name for putting it off. You can train yourself to shut out the world and write. – Erma Bombeck Never mind the fact that I was procrastinating when I wrote the quote for my board. I frequently defend my procrastinating by arguing with my Erma muse that she never had to avoid Facebook, which is the Devil’s agent when it comes to procrastination. On top of that, I have been having serious issues with maintaining focus of late, which I try to blame on peri-menopause but really, I’m just…
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Re-Entry
It’s Thursday evening, and the house is all quiet as everyone is asleep. Except for me. Re-entry to normal life after a week’s holiday in Spain, sans kids, has been more difficult than usual. Jet lag has been more difficult to overcome – I awake each morning and fail to clear the haze that surrounds me. We both came back in less than full health, he with a stomach bug (just what you want to come down with the day you plan to fly) and me with a condition that makes caffeine and sugar bad ideas. Recovering from jet lag without coffee, after a week of caffe con leche several times…
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10 Sentences: Luck
“Es regalo” she said as she offered a sprig of Rosemary. “Free. For good luck.” But I knew if I accepted, she’d grab my hand to read my palm – and as she would consider a coin to be “bad luck”, the least she would accept is a €5 note. I smile and say “No gracias”, firmly. And repeat it four more times. But as I pass on her offer of luck, think about the good fortune I do possess. I’m grateful for the opportunity that allows me to sit here on the steps of the Cathedral in Seville. It is a gift to be able to slow down the sometimes overwhelming…
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When I Was Younger
When I was younger, I was painfully shy and overly sensitive. I was always afraid I’d say something to make me look terribly stupid, and it didn’t take much to make me cry. I’m still an introvert and far too sensitive for a forty-something, as I never did grow a thicker skin. (Fact: crying in the business world is generally unacceptable, so if you are thin-skinned, make sure you get a job that gives you an office with a door.) And since I’m still afraid of sticking my foot in my mouth, I’m going to be quiet until I get to know you better. (And if I’m not quiet, I’ve…
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Dress Code Crazy
I appreciate the importance of school dress codes, but some of the latest rules are just crazy. Who knew that collar bones are the devil’s instruments? Apparently, bra straps are too. Leggings are distracting because they show the shape of girls’ legs – gasp – girls have legs? I’ve never heard my 11-year-old son say “Mom, I can’t understand fractions because Sarah wore leggings.” If he did, though, I’d knock him upside the head – figuratively speaking. I pity the girl who got her Wonder Woman lunchbox taken away because violent characters are banned in the dress code? Wonder Woman is a super hero, and super heroes portray violence, ergo Wonder Woman is violent. That’s like saying cake is…
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Indecision is the Mother of…Well, I Can’t Decide
Of the many lovely traits I’ve passed on to my kids, along with the one ear that sticks out too far and my very large teeth (in a very narrow mouth), the one that I most regret is my great capacity for indecision. Or maybe it’s my lack of confidence. I’m not sure…what do you think? (I’m just joking. Mostly. Ok, just a little.) I can get totally tangled up in indecision on the smallest of things, while charging foolishly headfirst into bigger decisions (or purchases.) I’m not sure if it is fear of change, or the unknown, or in the case of changing my Twitter handle and the name of my…
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She is my Poet, He is my Writer.
Complain as I may about over-reliance on testing and “no child left behind” and Common Core and what have you, my children have been blessed – blessed I tell you – with phenomenal teachers and headmistress/principal that put heavy emphasis on the act of writing. At a very young age both my children were encouraged to write, write, write, punctuation and spelling be damned, the focus should be with getting them comfortable with getting the words on paper (as punctuation, grammar and spelling will come in time.) I have always loved to write, but it was never a skill I was pushed to develop in the manner they have. The encouragement…
