It was Friday. An extra busy day in the substance use disorder treatment center where, at the time, I was supervising medical residents. As we were sitting around a conference table finishing morning rounds, the receptionist interrupted to say a high ranking university staff member had called on behalf of...
It has become our automatic response to the question, “How are you doing?” With a shake of our heads we exclaim, “Busy!” And we are. Of course, there’s a lot of glamorizing of the daily grind. It’s become a symbol of status. Busy...
“What’s your plan?” I ask with curiosity. My daughter looks down at me from the top of the jungle gym. It’s tempting to yell, “Stop!”It’s tempting to say, “Here, let me get you down. Do it this way. Put your foot right there.” But instead...
My daughter is not at all fond of strawberries. Unfortunately, at our favorite Mexican restaurant last night, her chicken tacos came on a plate with a side of fruit… which happened to be strawberries. The strawberries were touching the tacos, and – almost as if to taunt her...
Awake in bed, I consider my day. These are the moments I replay in my mind: I forgot to include notes in my daughters’ lunch boxes on their first day of school, and I think of everyone else in their class opening love notes and my girls...
For the past few months, whenever I was leaving for a trip, my sister would text me and ask me to please bring the shower caps from the hotels. After several trips, bringing home a cap or two and then reminding myself to give it...
I’m in an unspoken competition. Each morning I drive to the same coffee shop, where I quickly park and speed-walk inside. It’s my attempt to be the first to reach the very best table in the back corner. It’s a round table with two...
It’s back-to-school time for the girls. I was driving Emma to the office supply store this week for one last item on her school supply list. Thinking about the questions she would likely hear on her first day, I asked her to share one thing...
“Paint what you see,” we were instructed. Then our six kayaks, each carrying two people, were pushed into the water. A set of 24 watercolors was next to each of us. A waterproof bag held paper and paintbrushes of different shapes and sizes. Each time...
“How much longer? My arms are killing me,” my daughter said dramatically. We were visiting the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Seeing other visitors posing for pictures that looked like they were holding the tower up, I thought it would be fun to see if...