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Making Myself at Home
I moved to Seattle from Florida at the end of August, and I still have a ton of boxes that I haven’t gotten around to unpacking. My focus has been elsewhere. I’ve been trying to learn my way around this city. I’ve been trying to fit in at work. I’ve been coping with tendonitis and…
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Hospice = Hope
Yet again the other day I heard of a family being offered hospice care for a loved one and turning it down. There seems to be this prevailing mythology out there that hospice means you’re giving up hope and trying to rush someone along into the afterlife before his or her time. Nothing could be…
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The Secret Lives of my Dogs
I came home from work today to the smell of pee and saw a look of utter shame on both my dogs’ faces. The worst part about it is I can’t find where they did it. I’ve been crawling around on my hands and knees sniffing away, with no luck. Disgusting. I wish I could…
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Unexpected Wisdom
In times of confusion or grief or despair, my first instinct is to find answers. Often there are none, but it’s a reflex action to reach out to grab something when you’re falling. Usually I turn to books. At the scattering of my boyfriend’s ashes, a friend gave me a good one. “When Things Fall…
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Congratulations, You’re Alive!
Do you ever think about the miracle of your existence? It’s incredible, really. The odds of you… you actually being here to read this blog are greater than being struck by lightning. Think of the one hundred generations that had to to procreate before you were even born. They had to survive plagues and wars…
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The Collage That Is My Life
Every one of us has life experiences, many of which we take for granted, but these experiences help shape us into the people we are. It’s like a very detailed puzzle or collage that, when put all together, forms a picture of you. No two images will ever be exactly alike, and that’s such a…
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Shocked
I heard this story once about a guy on a subway, stuck in a car with a man and his five obnoxious kids. The father sat there and did nothing as these kids ran around jumping on things and shouting and just generally making a nuisance out of themselves. Finally the guy couldn’t hide his…
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Things I Hope I Never Forget
The shock of having the person I loved most in the world die unexpectedly two weeks ago has taught me much. Life is as fragile as a soap bubble. It could pop at any moment and that’s it. You’re done. Because life is so fragile, it’s precious. You only get a little bit of it,…
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The Other Place
When my boyfriend, Chuck Guerra, passed away on Monday, it wasn’t the first time. He died several times on the table 25 years ago during brain surgery. So this time he knew exactly where he was going. Naturally I was devastated. I still am. I can’t imagine a time when I won’t be. But at…
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Leaps of Faith
Every once in a while you find yourself standing on a precipice staring down into a deep abyss of change. You may have a strong idea as to whether this change will ultimately be good or bad for you, but you can’t be sure, and that’s what’s terrifying about it. You may very well stand…