As the weeks of quarantine drag on, I read about people who are ploughing determinedly ahead with big projects: reading War and Peace, learning a new coding language, or writing their novel. Those people are steady of purpose, patient, disciplined, and determined – temperamentally suited to the long haul. I admire and envy them, but … Read More
I am married to a Marie Kondo nut. Ten years ago, he took a week off work and went through the house top to bottom, in what we decided to call a “crap-ectomy.” I was under the gun at work that week (and even if I hadn’t been, I would have pretended to be), so … Read More
If you’re like me these days, you are feeling a little caged, but doing everything in your power to remain informed & safe, kind & gentle with yourself & others, open to the present moment (but not overwhelmed by it), reasonably healthy, reasonably creative, and reasonably sane. And also like me, you’re probably succeeding at … Read More
In the long-ago times of Just A Few Weeks Ago, a friend’s son moved to NYC with some college buddies. When the city closed down, Rob and his friends (all working in “non-essential services”) decided not to stay holed up in a tiny apartment crowded with too many large guys. They jumped in a car … Read More
I’m trying to stay upbeat. I really am. I take long walks every day if the weather is at all inviting. I video-chat/call/exchange texts with several friends almost every day. I enjoy living in my cozy nest of a house with a funny, sweet guy. Given that so many people are out of work and … Read More
In the world as I expected it to be, I am packing my chic new suitcase for two weeks in England. My book group leaves tomorrow – tomorrow! –for a week-long, small-group tour of Jane Austen country. A week later, my husband will be meeting me in London. Friends from Yorkshire will visit museums with … Read More
In our back yard, the hellebore and crocuses are blooming. The days are getting longer and warmer. But there’s no getting around it: I’m sad. Like many of my age cohort and economic bracket, I had travel plans for this spring. My book group was going to England for a tour centered on Jane Austen. … Read More
Some writer – I wish I could remember his name – tells a story of accompanying an elderly aunt to the hospital in an ambulance. It was night-time, and she noticed dark forms on both sides of the road. “What are they?” she asked. “Trees,” he answered. “Well, I’m tired of them,” she said. I’ve … Read More
In International Living, I’ve read about people who spend much of the year house-sitting. They rent a room or small apartment somewhere to store the stuff they can’t take with them, they often work online for their primary income, and they travel light. They move from Amsterdam to New York City to Granada with just … Read More
When we stand on the edge of retirement and gaze over the precipice, some of us get a little dizzy. Several questions loom large. Here’s one I’m still chewing over: How will I spend my ordinary days? I retired because I wanted time to travel and visit the grandchildren. I wanted to slow down and … Read More