I wrote this on April 27, 2021. I didn't know how much I would be challenged in my willingness to accept what is and still find the joys and comforts and fun in it. Where there's a will, there's another way.Less pain, great gain. For nine years I have clung to the belief that I … Continue reading Not Too Jazzy Journal 2
Not Too Jazzy Journal 1
If you can imagine it, you can achieve it, if you can dream it you can become it.-William Arthur Ward Journal entry adapted from April 24, 2021. Today I went outside to plant some seeds and sit—just sit—in the woods for a little while. My body has humbled me yet again. After nine years of … Continue reading Not Too Jazzy Journal 1
Not Too Jazzy: Introduction
Here's the Introduction to my long-planned "On Healing" thread which was intended originally to be about healing from my chronic physical illnesses. I have about a gazillion rambling pieces I've written but have been too chicken to post. Now that I have taken the leap and posted three of the planned five in the Maxim … Continue reading Not Too Jazzy: Introduction
Coda to Maxim Matrix: Part III, Gender/Identity
Earlier this week, I posted the third in my series of essays exploring bits of my past. I got a lot of responses to one of my posts for the first time. I don't know whether it was image of the perky chicken sporting a familiar maxim, or that the Facebook algorithm showed my link … Continue reading Coda to Maxim Matrix: Part III, Gender/Identity
Maxim Matrix: Part III, Gender
This post is the third in a series about my family's favored maxims and their place in the matrix that shaped my sense of self. The Cambridge English Dictionary defines a maxim as a brief statement of a general truth, principle, or rule for behavior. My family had scores of them in addition to the … Continue reading Maxim Matrix: Part III, Gender
Maxim Matrix: Part II, Perfectionism
Being good was a slippery golden ring to grasp. I wrote that at the end of the last piece I posted, the first in a series about my family's favored maxims and the matrix that shaped how I understand my place and purpose in the world. I "hear" them often, these constant reminders of how … Continue reading Maxim Matrix: Part II, Perfectionism
Maxim Matrix: Part I, Frugality
The film The Matrix haunts me on SO many levels, but this ramble is not about science fiction or film or conspiracy. It's about family (Surprise!), and maxims' role in the larger code of family programming. A maxim is a brief statement of a general truth, principle, or rule for behavior, according to the Cambridge … Continue reading Maxim Matrix: Part I, Frugality
Death and the Legacy of Guilt
Upon awakening this morning, images of gravestones filled my mind. I’d prefer to say my half-conscious mind was honoring the service and sacrifice of all those who served in the military, but it wouldn’t be truth. On Memorial Day, more intensely than on other days, I’m swamped by guilt that I’ve neglected my final filial … Continue reading Death and the Legacy of Guilt