Spoiler alert
I’m back. Happy to be writing. Feeling like I might have something to say about life and love and loss and grief. I hope that I’m still able to get your attention in your inbox. Spoiler alert – watch for a new blog post this Saturday, November 23rd! Before then, it’s a great time to…
Being and Doing
Do we always have choices? I think so. And I hope so. We may not always like the ones that are available. Sometimes, of course, we may feel limited. But even when something is thrust upon us, not by choice, we still choose our response and other related things that arise from the circumstances. Experiencing…
Oranges
There are all kinds of changes that can occur in our habits and abilities when experiencing the loss of someone we love. Grief can take over in unanticipated ways. After Tim died, I found reading a book to be immensely frustrating. It was difficult for me to concentrate beyond a few pages at a time.…
Truths worth repeating
I have been writing regularly for over four years and have published 89 blogs on My Heart is Riding Shotgun. Most of them are timeless. I can reread and often still find myself so clearly identifying with the place I was in when I wrote it, though thankfully, I am usually not still standing there. …
I’m actually okay with it
I can be pretty stubborn. I’m a Taurus. A Bull. I like to think I’m more stubborn with myself than with others. My friends and family may say otherwise. Anyway, my stubbornness has been on point in a household matter with Hank Hank has had a few run-ins with the kitchen trash can. My 13-year-old…
This new math is hard
Math, or anything closely related, was never an enjoyable subject for me. I was lucky though. I had one of my favorite teachers in high school for Algebra 1 and 2. Mrs. Bowman was tough but encouraging. She was the kind of teacher that I would work hard for and really learn from, so I…
An Unremarkable Story
Tim and I were in Sedonna for a few days to ring in 2013. This was a place we visited quite often. On this occasion, it was colder than we had planned for and in fact, it snowed. We stopped at a random, mom-and-pop outfitter store to get something a bit warmer to wear. As…
The other side of the bridge
Did anyone notice this blog is posted two weeks later than my usual schedule? Thank you to the three people who checked in with me about it. And the rest of you, I still truly appreciate you. (haha!) As I’ve said before, these are my self-imposed deadlines. But it’s the first one I’ve missed in…
Let’s forgive them
Tim had been in the hospital for four nights. On the morning of the fifth day, we put in motion the decision we had already made together, to transfer him into hospice care within the hospital. When I reflect back on this decision, it’s impossible to recall the conversation around it. There certainly was no…
Another year of the best of the best
In 2023, I went on 86 hikes, thirty-two of which were on trails new to me. For the past four years, I’ve been documenting my annual hiking activity. It’s not a race. It’s not a goal. It’s not a competition with myself or anyone. It’s simply an important part of my life. My move to…