What’s “old” to you? How distinct is the difference between someone in this category and someone on the next rung down, say, “approaching old”? My mother preferred the word “elderly” to describe most anyone over the age of 80 — and the great-aunts and uncles were close by. The word had a gentler sound to her, I think. And then she herself arrived there, a fact which must mean that I’m soon to follow. This, we learn, is how life … Read More
Stereotypes, like bad rules, are meant to be flouted. Here are a few nice surprises in possible identities: A librarian who never says “Shhhh” and brings a touch of glamour wherever she strides. A teenager who hangs out regularly with friends except when he is birdwatching. A burly guy who drives a Big Rig and has read all the works of William Thackeray . And a bishop — he can be the person you need presiding in church and also … Read More
When two people marry, they form a new union. And in so doing, they also create an far-reaching set of relationships between two families who were previously unconnected. A wedding ceremony, with that exchange of vows as the centerpiece, brings its own kind of alchemy. Cel-e-bration! We — my husband and kids — recently attended one such joyous occasion. Actually, it was an event that stretched over five fun-filled days in my hometown, along with my brothers and their families. … Read More
Money may not be able to buy you love, but it sure can buy you a ticket to space. And family fame — that will land you a book deal sooner than you can say, “Would you like a spot of tea?” Most of us, though, don’t fly in any rockets, literal or metaphorical, and, if we want to get really good at something, we just practice, practice, practice. And then, the hard truth is, we still may be only … Read More
Yesterday began with a text from my friend Sally: “Happy July 4th, celebrating freedom from those tyrannical Brits.” In that she herself is British, and as far from tyrannical as one can get, the message was especially rich in contrasts. At first conjuring images of two sides in battle, it then sent me into more nuanced layers: in most resistance movements, everyone doesn’t resist equally. Fighting the Power, in History On a drizzly day that felt not much like a … Read More
It’s a couple of days past Father’s Day now — perfect for this post, because it’s about how time can bend. Didn’t Einstein do a little work on this, pulling in the whole universe in fact? I approximate, but I hope you’ll give me “close enough.” When it comes to understanding Einstein, we all could use a little give. Being no genius, I will nonetheless posit that these two things are not really opposites: having a father who is physically … Read More
“You don’t usually go for stuff like that,” my husband said the other evening in the kitchen. I’ve asked you to watch some dark shows with me before, like True Detective, and you left the room.” He was surprised that I’d been recently taken in by the HBO seven-part series Mare of Easttown. That morning, I’d started jabbering about the end of the second episode, as he was barely waking up. My re-telling hadn’t gone over too well, making him … Read More
Recently, someone in the literary world asked me, in an email, “Got any podcasts?” Well, no, in fact I did not. If she’d asked, “Got milk?” or even, “Got blog?” I could have been all set. Taking the question as a kind of challenge, however, I set out to find one and then, a bit brazenly, to become a guest on that same podcast. Who did I think I was, anyway? Well, someone who has a book manuscript itching to … Read More
No, I haven’t become a drug user, and it’s actually not me exactly who needs the fix. Furthermore, it’s not just one but a couple of fixes that have happened in my life recently. So now you probably think that I’ve walked back (news people use that expression to describe what politicians say and then later, try to retract) the title. No– just taking a little leeway here. The whole reason of bringing up fixes in the first place, though, … Read More
“Making plans for after lockdown?” a friend asked recently, in an email. For a moment, I froze, in a kind of panic. That was so completely not what I was doing. Suddenly I imagined that I was woefully out of synch with everyone else. It was akin to that old feeling that occasionally swept over me (maybe you too) in high school and college: probably I was missing some kind of ultra-fun event, not in the coolest place at the … Read More