This weekend, the girls saw Venus flytraps for sale at Trader Joe’s.Soon, one of the tiny plants was in our cart, and then on our kitchen counter at home. The problem was, this carnivorous plant housed in captivity would need its food delivered rather than...
We wear a variety of masks – personas adjusted for the different roles and labels we bring to particular settings. These masks are not so different from the ones my girls will put on tonight to walk through our neighborhood, filling their pumpkins to the...
Today is my 10-year wedding year anniversary. My husband and I met in a psych hospital. That always makes for a good way to begin the story when people ask how we met. We were both on our intern year – he in family medicine, me in clinical psychology –...
Last weekend, I treated myself to a facial at a local spa. I was led into a dimly lit room that smelled faintly of vanilla and eucalyptus. The aesthetician motioned for me to sit down. She sat across from me, a small table between us, and asked, “What is...
On the drive to school, the girls and I listen to a kids’ talk radio show. The format is for the host to announce a topic of the day, and then children across the country call in to share stories and offer their opinions. The topic today was good...
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...