4 days agoMember-onlyAnalog Your AlgorithmIn Thanksgiving for Strangers I scrolled to the bottom of hopelessness the other day. The algorithm has figured out that I’m a hypothetical baker. If you’re gonna meticulously frost a cupcake to look like a miniature lattice pie (!), I am going to watch. If you’re going to show me…Motherhood10 min readMotherhood10 min read
Nov 9TrippingIt turns out epilepsy reads my work. Three days after publishing The Streak, celebrating my worry-free drop-offs and my son’s sunny, fun-filled classroom days, he had a seizure at school. His second in 189 million seconds. I was on the phone with a mom of a younger child who has…Epilepsy13 min readEpilepsy13 min read
Oct 10The StreakLiving with Epilepsy, Counting the Seconds For seven years, I thought of life in seconds. The sixty it would take to get to a minute, the 3,600 in a long hour. …Epilepsy12 min readEpilepsy12 min read
Sep 8Member-onlyIt GoesThe College Drop-off Drop We just dropped our son off for his freshman year at college. Nights before flying back east to plant him in a new state, we went to dinner as a family in the city. We got all dressed up because we were celebrating. Here he was…Motherhood14 min readMotherhood14 min read
Aug 14Member-onlyJust FineI watched 100% of the College World Series while I recovered from my quick lumpectomy, reduction and lift. If ESPN had been in the market for a different perspective on the proceedings, maybe a dreary, black-mooded color commentator who talked less about thrilling draft prospects and more about phantom lymph…Cancer14 min readCancer14 min read
Jul 7Member-onlyTits UpI found out I had breast cancer in early May. I’ve been told for many years that I have tricky breast tissue; dense, hard to read, littered with spotty spots. …Cancer15 min readCancer15 min read
Jun 5Member-onlyThe Peaks, the Pomp and the CircumstancesMy son graduated from high school last Saturday. I have an older daughter, so in the weeks leading up to graduation, many parents considered me experienced. They asked me — how many guests do we get at the Baccalaureate? Do parents go to the awards ceremony? …Graduation9 min readGraduation9 min read
May 24Member-onlyOlder, WiserA Different Kind of Coming of Age Tale I got my feelings hurt by a six-year-old the other day. It happened at the park. I was there with my youngest, watching him contort his gangly limbs through a too-small tunnel. This place was made for smaller children, but that is…8 min read8 min read
May 12Member-onlyMother on the MenuIt’s Time to Recognize the Profession — My high school senior recently applied to college. When I told him I’d proof his application, he considered this a kind, but unnecessary offer. He’d written the thing, pored over it, read and re-read, wrote and re-wrote. It was done, all locked in, nothing to change, tweak or add. I…Motherhood11 min readMotherhood11 min read
May 3Member-onlyBoth Sides NowWhen Clouds Get in Your Way — For months, my youngest stared at the map of Sesame Place on his ipad, manifesting a trip to this muppet mecca. The map was a complete and ready made vision board. Full vision, no notes. I couldn’t blame my son — the place looked bright, cheerful and inviting. Who wouldn’t…Parenthood9 min readParenthood9 min read
