One of the required courses during my first year in graduate school was an orientation to clinical work. The course met late on Friday afternoons. For the six of us in year one of the clinical psychology program, it was the only thing holding us...
This week, two little girls in Germany discovered a rat stuck half in and half out of a sewer grate. The rotund little creature couldn’t go in and couldn’t go out thanks to “a lot of winter flab,” according to news outlets. The local animal...
If you happened to be swimming in the ocean next to a boxer crab, you might look at their little claws waving around and imagine that they were holding the most adorably small pair of pom-poms and laugh to yourself, thinking they were acting as...
When my husband and I were dating, we decided to have a book club. It was a very exclusive book club — just the two of us. After reading two books, we decided our third book would be an audio book we could listen to...
For a very long time, I resisted the electronic calendar. I would be in meetings, and as others were adding meeting times and notes on their various electronics, I would reach into my bag and take out my three-ring planner, using my favorite blue pen...
Sometimes, for fun, I imagine that there is a narrator who responds to my internal and spoken dialogue. The narrator would speak in a low, captivating voice — a voice like Morgan Freeman’s — and would capture my true feelings and contradict falsehoods, as needed. For...
I visit a shipping store by my house quite often. Since I work from home, it’s almost a daily occurrence that I need to send a package or a letter. I’ve settled into a comfortable relationship where the staff knows me. They greet me warmly...
My husband and I celebrated our ninth anniversary at a fancy restaurant in Phoenix that is known for their unique small plates. It was a wonderful meal, with over 20 courses that included a baby kiwi sandwich with beet tartare, black truffle nachos and carrot...
For Christmas, I received the best-worst present of chocolate peppermint bark. It comes from a well-known gourmet cooking store, and it is beyond delicious. Knowing that once I get started on it I cannot stop eating it until I’m sick, I decided to return it...
I glanced at the clock as I turned out the lights and shut my eyes, exhausted — 10:30 p.m. As I often do before falling asleep, I reflected on moments that stood out in the day that was ending. I thought about an interaction I had...