I Can See Clearly Now
Widening my window of tolerance — and why we all might want to Recently, I went through a round of telemedicine talk therapy. It had been a long winter, and I’d been struggling with a pattern of self-defeating thoughts. But once I found myself heading down a spiral of feeling bad for feeling bad, I…
What Were You Thinking?
My 13 stupidest moments, ranked People who know me think I’m smart. And by standard measures — academic grades, SAT scores, the intelligence tests I didn’t even know I was taking in early elementary school — they’re correct. I am genuinely interested in people, which leads to a fortunate tendency: At social gatherings, I’m more…
How a Grieving Daughter Created Mother’s Day
And why she later tried to get it abolished In 1876, at the age of 12, Anna Jarvis attended her mother’s Sunday school She listened raptly to the stories of mothers from the Bible, and particularly as her mother, Anne Reeves Jarvis, uttered a simple, fervent prayer: “I hope and pray that someone, sometime, will found…
Mystery Backyard Beast!
A strange creature is stalking Boise A UFC has been captured on film near where I live Last week, while checking my local Nextdoor feed — no doubt you’re familiar with Nextdoor.com, the app that allows you to exchange neighborhood gossip online — I came across a video posted by someone in our ‘hood. Captured…
The First Woman to Vote for U.S. President Was A One-Eyed Stagecoach Driver
Who everyone thought was a man Note: this article was originally published in History of Women on Medium.com. You can also listen to a slightly revised version on the episode of my blogcast, Here’s A Thought, released on April 19. I find this story remarkable enough to post here as well — and since so much…
Hey, Boomer! Stop Saying That
Five phrases to remove from your vocabulary right now If you’re a Boomer too, congratulations Welcome to the club, and I mean that wholeheartedly. But now that you’re here, there are five conversational gaffes you need to purge from your speech if you don’t want to be discounted by everyone in Gen X and below.…
The Weirdest Test You’ll Ever Have
If you’ve been referred for a sleep study, here’s what to expect My preparations for bed have taken nearly an hour My sleep technician, a calm and confident woman with a 50s family sitcom-motherly vibe, has carefully attached a complex network of electrodes to my wrist, chest, and abdomen, their slender wires snaking down one leg…
Here’s Why Things Are Going to Get Even Weirder
AI is a Genie With No Bottle Feel like you can’t keep up with the pace of change? It’s not you, and it’s not your age. Sure, you and I might not have yet mastered TikTok while our kids have already moved on to Likee or some other app we’ve never heard of. Maybe you’re still…
Unmasking Imposter Syndrome
Not Fake, Formidable! Last week I wrote about my current internal struggle I described my decision to disrupt the negative thought spirals that have been giving me unnecessary pain by recruiting professional help. Maybe you’ve had something like this happen: you have a stubborn ache in your knee or neck or wherever, one you put…