Do you live alone? Well, you’re not alone. About 28 percent of Americans live alone. That was just one of the interesting facts I learned while playing around with census numbers this week. I had so much fun, in fact, that I made a little quiz. Here it is – take it! Be sure to … read more Fun with the census
Category: Refraction
How a wave changes direction. Life changes, creating change and recovery from change
One cold February day
She jerked. She stuttered. She stopped. “Anna Mae! What is it?” I cried, giving her a whack. She got going again, just a little ways, then stopped again. “Damn it!” A cold day in mid-February, I’m way up the side of the mountain. I came here excited about spending the afternoon to take photos of … read more One cold February day
Miles of smiles
Today we sold Anna Mae, our jeep for more than seven years. I felt a real loss, as though I’d sold my youth. If you’ve owned a jeep, you might be sighing and a little sad, like me. Or you might be clapping your hands and saying, “Good for you – good riddance!” Jeeps are like … read more Miles of smiles
Curves and ice
I was standing at the stove cooking, and suddenly it hit me again: the ax in the head. I wasn’t having another aneurysm rupture. Just for a moment, I was re-living it. The fear that gripped me. Being alone. The pain and dizziness out of nowhere – no warning at all. One minute I was … read more Curves and ice
Folding into comfort
I pushed a little button and felt myself sink back… aaaah! That’s the way I want to feel in my living room. Stretched out and relaxed. A little voice teases me: This is the kind of furniture old people buy. I’ve been spending a lot of time on our couch in the last couple years, particularly in … read more Folding into comfort
Other gifts, too
About a month into my recovery, a friend who is an herbalist and practices traditional Chinese medicine told me: “Your shen had a fright and has yet to fully return. Taking baby steps to make things nice and cozy ‘in Lisa’ will entice your shen’s full return.” She recommended herbs, meditation, looking at green things, being … read more Other gifts, too
Watch over me
It’s only this week, now that I feel almost fully recovered from the brain surgery, that I realize what a big deal it was. Eleven weeks today, almost to the minute, since that aneurysm ruptured and I collapsed on the floor. I really did almost die. And the surgeons really did dig through my brain. … read more Watch over me
Self-doubt
There’s nothing like doing market research on a book to make you feel that you’re not so special. Hundreds of thousands of books are published every year in America. The top nonfiction sellers mostly are written by people who are already famous – actresses, comedians, CEOs and mainstream media investigative reporters. I’m not famous, not … read more Self-doubt
Sad stories
The top three bestsellers in Amazon’s “Memoirs” category: A young neurosurgeon gets cancer and dies A young woman grows up next to Rocky Flats, a secret nuclear weapons plant that is poisoning her town A letter from an African American man to his son, “a searing meditation on what it means to be black in America today” … read more Sad stories
It’s about time
For about a week now, I’ve been watching some free videos from the Self-Publishing School. Within the first minute of the first video, I was rolling my eyes at this guy, Chandler Bolt. So young. So enthused. So certain that he can make anyone a best-selling author. So obvious in his marketing style. So why … read more It’s about time