Planning for Christmas 2021: How far we’ve come

Planning for Christmas 2021: How far we’ve come

This past weekend the holiday decorations went up. I am much more enthusiastic about the holidays this year. With everyone in our family vaccinated, some normalcy has returned to our lives. Plus, this is our first holiday season as a married couple, and of course the first with a grandchild, so there’s that too.

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Some non-advice for the parents-to-be as I look back on my daughter’s first 21 years

Some non-advice for the parents-to-be as I look back on my daughter’s first 21 years

Last week, my daughter turned 21. The ups and downs of my life with her came cascading down around me as the day caused me to reflect on the role I’ve played in getting her to this point – which is now, for me, one of my best friends.  

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Managing ADHD in my 50s. Anyone else?

Managing ADHD in my 50s. Anyone else?

“Just diagnosed with ADHD at (almost) 54! Anyone else?”

That was what I posted in a FaceBook group of middle-aged women in March 2019. It got 333 responses. 

I have ADHD. It’s something I’ve dealt with my entire life although I never knew what my problem was and it didn’t even become a diagnosis recognized by mental health professionals until I was in college. I only decided to confirm it when my daughter was being tested almost two years ago. She too, should have been tested much sooner.

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Positive Affirmations in Our Music

Positive Affirmations in Our Music

One the the things I said I was grateful for last week was Spotify. I have always been sincerely grateful for music, as it’s made me feel alive, put a spring in my step, and helped me dance through housework. Spotify is merely a vehicle through which to conveniently appreciate music and have all our favorites a click or two away. 

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Six ways to go on living after loss

Six ways to go on living after loss

“You will lose someone you can’t live without, and your heart will be badly broken, and the bad news is that you never completely get over the loss of your beloved. But this is also the good news. They live forever in your broken heart that doesn’t seal back up. And you come through. It’s like having a broken leg that never heals perfectly—that still hurts when the weather gets cold, but you learn to dance with the limp.” – Anne Lamott

Have you ever looked so particularly sad that someone would suggest that “you look like you lost your best friend.” So a deep sadness is defined by what you would feel if you lost your best friend? What if you have?

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