If only they were more screwed up No wonder I’m so frustrated See that photo, the kids jumping for joy? Those aren’t my actual family members, but I have more than one pic of my real grandnieces and grandnephews doing the same thing. Because they’re all relentlessly healthy, functional, and high-achieving, with devoted and supportive…

This time it’s not for me That’s me and my husband, rabble-rousing again Life isn’t entirely comfortable for a progressive in Idaho these days — if it ever has been. On the other hand, life isn’t entirely comfortable for anybody in the United States these days, with primary elections coming at us and campaigns for…

I can’t be the only one who feels that way Don’t get me wrong; I love the cards and flowers What mother doesn’t enjoy being treated by her offspring? Mothering is hard work with high stakes, with brutal hours, a constantly shifting job description, and an uncertain retirement plan. If you’re lucky and nothing catastrophic…

Just look around; they’re everywhere In my gratitude practice, here’s what I’ve noticed Maybe “practice” is too lofty a term. I don’t claim any specialness when it comes to spiritual mojo or mental hygiene. I’ve simply developed a nightly habit: before I turn off my bedside lamp, I write down five things I’m grateful for.…

Can we talk? Psst. Over here It’s me, the spiky-haired liberal woman with the “SNFLAK” license plate (SNOWFLAKE: get it? See, not all of us libs take ourselves too seriously). Before you roll your eyes and turn away, let’s acknowledge one thing we have in common: you and I both get a daily drenching from…

Living lightly in dark times There’s no end of reasons to be unhappy In this third spring of the pandemic, we are only just emerging, or so we hope, into some semblance of our old freedoms. As we begin to confront its staggering collateral damage — burned-out teachers, a mental health epidemic among school-aged kids,…

No, you can’t. Learn from my mistake I should have known better When a deal is too good to be true, there’s always a catch. You’d think that with my wisdom and experience I’d be too savvy to fall for the siren song of those online clothes retailers’ ads that pop up when I’m researching…

I couldn’t appreciate it until now Our mother’s words are on repeat in our heads At least they are if we were lucky enough to have mothers, or mother figures, who nurtured and nagged and niggled at us through our formative years. Mom’s admonitions pop up at the drop of an unconscious trigger: while getting…

Could Russia’s invasion of Ukraine pull Americans together? This post was born in a liquor store Don’t jump to conclusions. For the record, it was late morning and I was as sober as a judge. We’ll come back to the incident in a bit, but for now I’ll just say that it was one of…