life
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PJs AND BIRTHDAYS
When the first freeze of winter hit, I pulled out my flannel PJs and found only one mismatched pair, which had a long-gone, elastic waistband. They were given to me almost 20 years ago. I did the math and realized that my next pair may well outlive me. So, I purchased these, so I’ll look… Read more
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by
in
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YOU GO FIRST
Remember in school when the teacher asked a question and you shrank down in your seat hoping he’d call on someone else? No one wanted to go first. Years later, at my very first dance, I quickly realized that waiting for someone to ask me could take forever. Life was too short to just stand… Read more
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The Bark & The Bikini
I found hundreds of these tree bark striplings lying in the gutter, covered with mud. They had fallen from a Manzanita tree on a populated street in La Jolla. Countless people stepped on them as if they were garbage, not noticing them at all. But their paper-thin delicacy and colors captivated my eye. After rinsing… Read more
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OH, CHRISTMAS TREE!!
For almost every Christmas of my adult life, I’ve had real trees in my home. The smell of pine coupled with the soft twinkle of lights, is magical. In my 20’s, when I lived in tiny apartments, I had little trees in pots which I decorated with miniature decorations. After the holidays, I planted them… Read more
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RIGHT TIME? RIGHT NOW
They looked like the same pair when I slipped them on this morning in the dark garage. However, when I arrived in California and looked down, I was startled to see they didn’t match. Such are the joys of aging. When I get to the point where I look down and they still look the same? I… Read more
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stupid is smarts gone AWOL
“Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe.” – Albert Einstein Sometimes I do something so dumb that even I am floored. Such was the case last night, when I decided to untangle string lights that a windstorm blew over the backyard wall. Despite my poor vision… Read more
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THE HUNT IS EVERYTHING
I started collecting shells when I was six. I’ve gathered Conches from Bondi and Volutes from the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, Cowries from Fiji, Scallops from Spain, and Whelks from the Gulf Coast of Florida. There are also Puka shells from the north shore of Oahu (where I almost drowned), Moon snails from Cape… Read more
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HAVE I STAYED TOO LONG AT THE FAIR?
Vince Lombardi famously said, “Winners never quit, and quitters never win.” Turns out that’s not exactly true. Research shows we stay far, too long in our jobs, relationships and friendships and it doesn’t serve us well. It keeps us connected to people that no longer reflect who we are and keeps us away from those… Read more
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THE UPSIDES OF GOING DOWNHILL
I’m gonna smack the next person who tells me, “You’re only as old as you feel.” That is the single, stupidest thing I’ve heard in the last 20 years. If you knew how I really felt, you’d wonder how the hell I was still above ground!! AND…on the days when I DO feel young, folks… Read more
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DO YOU PREVARICATE?
Lies come in many colors. While ‘little white lies’ are harmless, others are more nefarious. There are the ‘true blue’ ones which are mostly but not completely true like, “I have horsed around with kids,” which coach Jerry Sandusky said when first accused of child abuse; the ‘red hot,’ ones, like “I can make you… Read more
AGEFULLY AGING 