Dinner With My Husband – An Average Monday

So here we are, Monday night, and we are just clearing away the dishes from a scrumptious meal. We even ate dinner at the table, with napkins and silverware, like real grown-ups! We talked a lot about how much fun we had yesterday, and a little about all of the social activities we have in the coming weekends. It is critically important, I’ve discovered, to remember to TALK to one’s husband now and again! Try it – you’ll like it. Tonight’s menu:

Farewell to the Princess

My cat is dying. A beloved and respected member of the family, Woosie is 21 years old, and her body has finally run out of fuel. She is an incredible creature – the kind of cat that cat lovers respect, and cat haters point to as an example. Regal, aloof, independent, beautiful… but also gentle, intuitive, and strikingly intelligent. It was the running joke (which was actually the truth) that she was the reigning princess of the house, who ruled with an iron paw of great softiness, and her wish was our command.

The Power of Gratitude Vs. Need

I just received an email from a dear friend, entitled “A Heavy Heart.” It has been a trying time for her family, without question. What do you say at a time like this? What do you do? The reaction of most people, regardless of religion or belief, is a wave of sadness, a longing to alleviate, and perhaps the commencement of a litany of prayers begging for the life of a baby, the healing of a man’s spirit, and the safety of the children’s emotional balance. While the sentiment is noble, the tactic is wrong.

IMing with Mom

My mom is not what you’d call “technologically savvy.” Actually, she’s a bit of a paradox, because she works with computers all day (doing things that are WAY over my head), got her degree in programming back in the days of DOS, but refuses to keep up with the 21st century’s innovations. She doesn’t even carry a cell phone. Seriously. (Although at this point, it’s not for lack of understanding their basic necessity, just willful belligerence!) A couple of months back, her then-boss insisted that everyone on his team have a Yahoo IM account. Now, through the magic of Messenger, Mom and I are connected each and every single day, and our relationship has grown exponentially.

Dangerously European

Since “discovering” the laws of the universe some nine months ago, I’ve been learning to let my body and my intuition guide me, rather than my sense of obligation… and can I just take a moment to tell you how much HAPPIER I am? It infuses me with energy, with passion, with a sense of joie de vivre. In preparation for the launch of my next big project, and possibly the next phase of my life, my new favoritest-thing-in-the-whole-world to do is to sit out on my patio, soaking up what few glorious rays of summer we’re gifted with in the Chicago area, drinking wine, listening to music, and writing away. I’ve come to term my new way of life as “dangerously European.” See, I live in the burbs, and my neighbors are less than 30 feet from me. In fact, I’d bet they’re at their kitchen table watching me right now, shaking their heads at my rapidly disappearing wine. Oh, did I mention it’s 10:30am? Haha!