the beauty of an ordinary life
When I was in 4th grade, in 1975, my mother started having a self-described "mid-life crisis" that lasted several years. She sought help through counseling and reading, and one of the books she read was a wildly popular bestseller that I'd dismissed, until now.
When my children were little, during the age of great dependency, I sometimes, oftentimes, struggled in my job as their mother. My struggles were laid bare most visibly on weekends, holidays and vacations. Particularly at the beach. **** Once, we loaded the last bag in the car at almost noon, the first Saturday of spring … Continue reading Restore.
I made school lunch for the last time, ever. "This is the last time I'm ever going to make lunch for you to take to school," I said to my daughter, as I folded a chicken and rice burrito and wrapped it up tight. "You're free!" she whooped. "Aren't you glad?" Seven years ago, I … Continue reading Something about that list from the working mother battlefield.
I was at a party recently to celebrate a friend’s milestone birthday. It was a wonderful, multi-generational gathering of adults and children of all ages, and being with them in person, during this COVID reprieve, was a true joy. One of the guests was a mother who had a toddler with her. The child was … Continue reading Something about impermanence.
When it's hard to imagine what my life was like a decade or so ago, I scroll back through early blog posts. In those days, getting a grip on daily chores, including family dinner preparation, was a constant challenge. One of the things I did in response to that challenge was to prepare weekly menus … Continue reading Something about the work of family dinner.
"Home," as Jimmy Carter wrote, in a piece for The Bitter Southerner, "is a complicated idea." I've been sewing in the mornings, sitting in my chair by the window, sipping coffee and stitching in the few quiet moments before other more immediate responsibilities take the stage, which usually isn't very long. Sewing, and this kind … Continue reading Something about sewing.
I'm working on something for tomorrow, and since I'm still working on it and it's 11:30, and I'm going to go to bed soon, I'm reposting from the archive. What I'm working on, for tomorrow, is about the South and living in the South and leaving the South, which I did when I headed to … Continue reading Something from five years ago that’s still relevant.
"Parenting" is having a moment. Or, more accurately, it's having another moment. A super-trendy one. While previous waves, such as those led by Dr. Spock, T. Berry Brazelton, and the controversial John Rosemond, to name just three, had a kind of official stamp on them, this wave, dubbed "gentle parenting" is different. as Jessica Winter … Continue reading Creativity and parenting.
jenny's lark 