One of my favorite movies, “Empire Records”, has a character named Debra who tries (unsuccessfully) to slit her wrists. When a friend/co-worker confronts her about this, Debra responds: “I tried to kill myself with a Lady Bic. A pink plastic razor with daisies on it and a moisturizing strip.” Clearly, she didn’t intend to kill herself, but she was going through some stuff. Her friends … Continue reading Dia de Las Vidas

“I just came here for potty chairs and advice” the young woman said softly. She looked around the room and her eyes filled with tears. My daughter stood across from her and smiled knowingly. It seemed a lifetime ago, she was sitting at her kitchen table with her family, discussing the idea of opening her own business. She had a dream of running an in-home … Continue reading Potty Chairs and Advice

After absentmindedly trying the door handles of two other vehicles in the parking lot (because all vehicles in Vermont look the same), I am returning home from the local market. It is one of those perfect late-spring/early-summer June days. Impossible blue skies with just enough clouds to make it believable. Countless shades of green lining the roads and flowers dotting the hillsides with color. As I round the bend on River Road, I turn on some music, and the first song to … Continue reading There’s No Place Like Lost

So, if someone sends you a giant glass jar beehive candle, and it’s wrapped so well that when you try to unwrap it you accidentally stab yourself in the boob with scissors, and once you get it open it’s covered in honey butter (the candle, not your boob), which is slippery so you drop it on your toe, which may or may not be broken … Continue reading Oh Bee-HIVE!

I exit the building into the welcome winter sunshine. I had forgotten how clean and quiet the Upper West Side is. This block is especially so, since new buildings of concrete and steel have recently replaced old housing projects. I prefer seeing renovated buildings, but it only takes a few steps down Columbus Ave to get back to that New York vibe. I could turn … Continue reading Morning Walk

What you can do. What you will do. What you do do. That last sentence never fails to turn me into a 12-year-old as I descend into a fit of giggles. Every now and then, I wish I was more like Audrey Hepburn or Grace Kelly or Princess Diana. Poise, charm, grace. Descriptions that have perpetually eluded me. But I would be happy to fall … Continue reading Make Room-ba For Funny

I watched myself do it. I mean, I literally (yeah, I know) left my body and hovered above the kitchen island and watched myself slowly and methodically do EVERYTHING else besides write. It’s maybe the first time I’ve been so aware in the moment. And yet, I started to cook a pot of steel-cut oatmeal. I took my vitamins. I gave some water to the … Continue reading Sandi 2.0

The woman walking toward me leaned forward and lobbed a fresh bag of dog poo at me. Okay, maybe not AT me, but in my general direction. And maybe it wasn’t so much that, as she was just a terrible shot and missed the trash can located next to me. Either way, I thought to myself, “Day 1 in the books… dog poo thrown at … Continue reading Despite

Somewhere under a Houston moon, Freddy is roaming free. And while he had a little scare, he’s fine now. You see, Freddy came inside (or maybe he was born there) and found himself in a cozy corner. Out of reach, but not out of sight. He was causing no trouble. In fact, he was helping. Doing his job. And while he may have been happy … Continue reading Freddy