The Last Day of Summer

  A City that Breathes Magic New Orleans is a party  That never ends With all the energy  And the hangovers The glitter  The vivid, then vague Impressions Of the night before Party for 2 days, sleep for 3 Get up  And do it all again That’s the life  This never ending jazz soundtrack "Hey Sugar" "What can I get for you baby?" From waiters, shop owners Strangers That Southern hospitality You can bask in New Orleans’ feel is palpable A perfect example of  Setting as character It’s thick with magic It’s heavy and intoxicating It’s beautiful Like a flower always in bloom Beads from balconies Voodoo priestesses at the ready  To read your palm Or remove a curse A party for you to join  A random parade  Down Bourbon Street Lively then lethargic It’s not the city that never sleeps It’s a city that cycles Between living to the fullest And sleeping it off There’s a dark history That they decided  To party right on top of Some parts lush, Green...

  I had trouble finding my way back to my own blog. I couldn't remember whether it was Blogger or Blogspot, or if those are the same thing now.  Anyway, here I am.  I used to question a lot of my decisions and wonder if I was leading the life I should be, whether I was on the right path or wasting time. I would think about some of my decisions, and regret not doing or doing this or that. Since Rowan, I regret nothing. The exact path I followed led me to him, so how could I regret anything? It's one of the best feelings. I don't look back or wonder. I would not change a single thing because then I might not end up with him. It's a powerful feeling.  This does not mean I don't still think about my present or my future. I updated my CV today (thank you Canva), and realized that I have been working at the same place since 2012. That's over 12 years. I love my job, but that stat makes me feel uneasy. That's a long time to be doing the same thing in the one precio...

Six Years Left I hear the clock ticking Louder and louder every day  “We have very little time,” it ticks “So little time,” it does not stop 24 years 12 years 6 years Six years before the planet  Is irreparably changed Six years to stop  The water from rising The fires from spreading The ice from melting We have six years And what do we do? We go to work We watch TV We make promises But we do nothing We turn the music up  We go shopping for purses We drive our cars And focus on our money When the floods come Will we float on our money? Will we breathe it in Like the oxygen we had Before we decimated the forests? Like the fresh sweet tonic That was all of ours Before we injected it with fossil fuel How will the money feel in our lungs? Full or regret? Bitter, sad, desperate Dirty? Six years before sea levels rise And wipe out entire countries Six years before our soil and water Is contaminated with salt We have six years  And what do we do? We do nothing When the...

  I haven't had a migraine, arthritis pain, or the winter blues Since becoming pregnant I feel an inexplicable amount of love Toward this unborn baby, my husband, my family, and my friends Covid deaths and incomplete lockdown procedures get to me But having been off during this time Has been a real blessing Getting the nursery ready was bringing a vision to life Feeling organized and mostly prepared, a gift My husband making me feel beautiful and loved And the increasing love we feel for each other Are all part of this completely unique and unexpected experience  I stood overlooking an empty bassinette yesterday And finally felt it was ready to be occupied 

I had to attend a Zoom meeting for work. I had an old laptop and a newer Chromebook. I wanted to test the difference in performance between the two, so I logged into the meeting on both. (My old laptop performed better than the Chromebook, just in case you were curious.) When I logged into the meeting with both devices, I got a big surprise. I saw my face as everyone else sees it. That is to say, I saw my face not as a mirrored image. I saw what everyone else sees rather than what I see when I look in the mirror. I was shocked at how different I looked. I recognized myself, but not really. Everything I'm used to seeing was off.  This was a profound experience because it made me think about all the time I've ever spent primping and looking in a mirror and how what I see is never what anyone else sees. Try it for yourself.  Switch your camera to non mirrored, or log into a Zoom meeting on two devices.  What I see in the mirror is not the same as what everyone else sees. So ...

It's spring and I feel so much better about life and myself right now.  I seriously have to bring myself to someone to talk about S.A.D. because I think I have it.  It could also be that I'm almost over the concussions as well,  but the seasonal depression stuff was going on even before the concussions. When spring comes it feels like I come alive again, only I did not realize how dead I was.  The sudden juxtaposition of my feelings lets me know.  It's like someone lifts a grey veil that I hadn't realized I was wearing and that was affecting all aspects of my life,  and then boom, I remember who I am and what joy feels like. Not that I feel zero happiness all winter,  but it's numbed. I lose touch with my spiritual side, I become full of self doubt and my self esteem takes a dramatic nosedive. Then one day,  I'm back. Back to the real me, or at least the me I like. Just like that, I start having more to say, to get excited about life and new...