#6- april 15: this is not a war

It’s as if the war metaphors just write themselves, as if they are inevitable, the most obvious thing in the world. It’s as if we have no other language to describe what is happening than the language of war. We have workers on the frontlines, the virus is an invisible enemy we’re all fighting, battling … Continue reading #6- april 15: this is not a war →

#5 – april 6: therapy hamster

I had written about the experience of losing one hamster days before Christmas, and bringing home another nearly identical golden Syrian hamster for my son. Wooly 2 was a good first pet. C enjoyed feeding him every morning and being responsible for changing his water. If Wooly was awake, he’d stand on his hind legs, … Continue reading #5 – april 6: therapy hamster →

#4 – march 29: all the feelings

In the early days of the pandemic, when we all started cancelling plans, a therapist friend posted about having learned the importance of honoring all the feelings one is feeling about a thing, rather than judging them, or comparing them to others or to some abstract standard of how we should be reacting. Oh, so … Continue reading #4 – march 29: all the feelings →

#3 – march 21: we can still laugh

Friday morning, both our children reported having had bad dreams. My husband had to go to our younger son’s room in the wee hours to comfort him. We don’t have the news on and we try to keep our worry from them, but our kids are always listening and as most children are, they’re sensitive … Continue reading #3 – march 21: we can still laugh →

#2 – march 18: flattening the curve

“To live entirely for oneself in private is a huge luxury, a luxury countless aspects of this society encourage, but like a diet of pure foie gras it clogs and narrows the arteries of the heart. This is what we’re encouraged to crave in this country, but most of us crave more deeply something with … Continue reading #2 – march 18: flattening the curve →

What Happens in a Pandemic: Coronavirus Chronicles

#1 - March 15: social distance I’m beginning to lose track of the order of events, both nationally and personally, because the situation has been so “fluid” as they say, the information flowing fast from multiple sources and changing sometimes by the hour over the past month. But this was the week that my immediate … Continue reading What Happens in a Pandemic: Coronavirus Chronicles →

Why I’m Team Warren

Just so you know where I’m coming from right off the bat, I don’t think “socialism,” “liberal,” or “progressive” are dirty words. A functioning society has a strong social safety net and funds education, research, and the arts. Any truly progressive policy has to be anti-racist and anti-sexist. Government should regulate industry for the greater … Continue reading Why I’m Team Warren →

A Tale of Two Woolys

My younger son C is nothing if not persistent. This trait was apparent very early on, well before words – if he wanted something, he let you know it again and again and again. So, when he started asking for a pet about a year ago, I knew deferral wasn’t going to cut it for … Continue reading A Tale of Two Woolys →

Inventing Traditions

Last Christmas Eve, I wrote the following Facebook post: “Reading Eric Hobsbawm’s The Invention of Tradition helped me understand that all traditions are invented out of specific historic, cultural, economic, and political needs. And later, in preparing to teach a course, I read The Battle for Christmas, about the pagan roots of what became both … Continue reading Inventing Traditions →

Invisible Milestones

This was the second year in a row that our kids didn’t trick-or-treat together. Up until last year, we’d had a tradition of trick-or-treating in the neighborhood just south of us, three long streets of single family homes, fully decorated, and abundantly supplied with candy. We’d meet up with my older son’s friends and their … Continue reading Invisible Milestones →