If one measures accomplishments in tangible output, as our capitalist society is wont to do, my summer and early fall weren’t incredibly fruitful. As a productivity-worshipping perfectionist whose self-worth has traditionally been based on such standards, I feel obliged to remind you that my lack of much to show for these months was by design: … Continue reading Just Like Christmas
It’s Christmas Eve, and my husband and I are puttering around the apartment wrapping the few presents we bought for each other and enjoying glimpses of our Christmas tree and the faint sound of a holiday album. We pause intermittently to entertain the feline houseguest we’ve been hosting this week or to eat one of … Continue reading A Chill(y) Christmas Eve
By this time last year, I was in my usual full-on, over-the-top Christmas mode. My apartment had been garishly decorated for weeks, my cards had been written and put in the mail, and my Spotify algorithm had figured out that all I listened to was Christmas music and thus suggested nothing else. I had a … Continue reading Having Myself a Merry(ish) Little Christmas
While out for a coffee with my husband a few mornings ago, I realized that I inevitably feel a great sense of relief on Boxing Day, when Christmas is in the rear-view mirror and expectations are suddenly lowered. I’m certainly not the first to observe that for many people, and for various reasons, Christmas is … Continue reading The Joy in Getting Through
Just a quick post to wish you all the best, no matter what/if you celebrate, in this final stretch leading to the new year. The last week has been eventful for me—the suspense!—and I’m full of gratitude, optimism, and resolve as I approach whatever 2024 has in store. At this time a year ago, I … Continue reading Solstice Wishes, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year
This coldhearted lady spontaneously burst into tears this morning while completing a crossword puzzle and listening to Bach (Suite No. 3 in D Major, BMV 1068: II. Air, to be precise). I seldom cry, but when I do, my eyes make up for lost time. It’s as if my tear ducts reserve their salty stores … Continue reading Classic
In the space of three or four days, an unusually late burst of summer turned to weather that’s unmistakably appropriate for autumn—early winter, even. I ripped the tags off my new coat, which I felt ridiculous buying a few weeks ago, when it was uncomfortably hot out, and wore it for the first time on … Continue reading Thanks(giving)
Just over a week before Christmas, I had a seizure and needed to be brought to an acute-care hospital. The next day, still in the ICU, I had another seizure, tried to get out of bed, fell, and broke my hip, an injury requiring surgery. A few days later, I went into status epilepticus again … Continue reading Christmas
I'm taking a few minutes from my Boxing Day to wish you a happy holiday week (if that's relevant to you). I hope that you're striking a balance between celebration and safety and that you're responsibly marking the season in a way that feels right to you. In other words, Merry Christmas! Or not. My … Continue reading This Christmas
In case past blog posts haven't made it abundantly clear, I am, in general, a Christmas person. Like, the kind of Christmas person who would, and did, just this year, purchase five (yes, five) Christmas-themed sweatshirts, not to mention a Christmas-themed T-shirt and several pairs of Christmas socks. The kind of person who wears that … Continue reading Christmas Feelings
De Morbo Sacro: Life and/with Epilepsy 