This fucking hip. Four years ago I had hip surgery for a torn labrum, and while that issue was corrected, I’ve been pretty much in a post-surgical nightmare ever since. A new problem immediately emerged, nerve pain that runs down the front of my thigh – and I’ve been getting the run around for the last four years – juggling hip surgeons, physical therapists, osteopathic … Continue reading Comfortably Numb
A few days ago, my daughter asked if she could go with me to my doctor appointment. Even though I had fantasized about a silent ride, maybe with a stop on the way to pick up a coffee, I agreed that she could come.After checking my weight (too high) and blood pressure (also too high), the nurse handed me two slips of paper. I started … Continue reading Here’s What You Need to Know About Digging Yourself Out of A Depressive Rut
I’ve been picturing the I finished book since I started this blog – using it as a mental image to keep myself going during the book writing process. The time has come and gone. The book is done! I’ve learned, however, that whenever I say the book is done, I find more things to fix and then it’s done again and then I fix again … Continue reading YIAYIA AND PAPOU – The Book! An Excerpt and a Quiz to Find Out if You Need to Read it:
It’s a struggle to let go to step back and release when I want to lean in when I want to scoop up It’s a loss the emptiness that resides in the void once inhabited by small arms wrapped around my neck It’s a challenge the balancing act the delicate art of being there while tiptoeing back It’s a sever of a limb an aching … Continue reading A Reminder of Being Whole
It was my daughter’s 4th birthday the other day. I still can’t believe it, she’s already 4! My baby, who was born what seems like maybe a month ago, has been with us for four years! It was a rough start when I was pregnant with her – coming off of a miscarriage, and losing two more babies within a couple of months. Her whole … Continue reading Balancing Gratitude Amidst Grief
She found herself unable to breathe. It had been building up for awhile but today if felt tighter. Quite uncomfortable. It was more than uncomfortable, really, she felt stifled. Sweaty. Claustrophobic. She began to unbutton. It was a slow process because the buttons were tightly secured and they barely fit through the buttonholes. It took a considerable amount of effort to free each one and, … Continue reading She Found Herself
Some people know they want kids and they’ve always known they’ve wanted kids since before they could remember. Not all of us are like that. Some of us were scared shitless about what becoming parents would entail. SHITLESS, some of us were. I’m talking colon-cleansing-from-the-stomach-flu fear of the unknown. Because the only “known” we had before kids was listening to parents complain. And hey, that’s … Continue reading I’m Parenting Young Children and THIS is Exactly What I Was Afraid of.
One of my favorite kid movies is Inside Out. The personification of the emotions in Riley’s head are adorable and – even though completely physiologically inaccurate – they are so realistically portrayed. My favorite part of the movie is when Joy figures out that Riley doesn’t just need HER, she needs Fear and Anger and Disgust and especially Sadness . . . it’s so, SO … Continue reading Inside Out and Blue and Yellow and Blue and Yellow
I distinctly remember a certain point when I was no longer fearful of childbirth. Before getting pregnant, the thought of giving birth was a little scary. More than a little scary, really. It terrified and disgusted me in equal parts. I worried about the leaking and the tearing and the pain. When I eventually got pregnant, I wasn’t as disgusted, but I was still a … Continue reading When Birthing and Dying, Discomfort Prepares Us
My mother-in-law is amazing. I hit the jackpot with this lady and I know it. As her daughter-in-law, I reap all the benefits of her being my mother – she babysits my children (all the time), she has us over for dinner (weekly) and she sends over plates of her leftover homemade Greek food (every other daily) – plus I have the added bonus of … Continue reading Yiayia and Her Love-and-Feta-Stuffed Cheese Pita
A Morning Grouch 