On a recent trip to New York City, I spotted a young man studying a musical score on the subway, deep in concentration. I’ve traveled to New York nearly a dozen times, so I know it’s not uncommon to board the train and see musicians setting their instruments beside them on a seat, or to...
Dani Rojas, a soccer-playing character on the TV show Ted Lasso, is known for his motto, “Football is life!” Dani is a Mexican national playing in England, hence the word “football” rather than soccer. He’s the team optimist, the good guy, the one who reminds everyone else to bring their love of the sport to...
In the past year, I’ve had seven diagnostic tests (three routine), three blood tests, and my first dental filling. I’ve gone from one prescription to four, and I’ve changed vitamins, diet, and supplements so many times, I’ve lost track. All of this led to my first ever bout with anxiety. I feel like I’ve made...
I’ve always turned down invitations to join book clubs. Not because I don’t see the value in them and definitely not because I didn’t like the people inviting me, but because I always seem to have stacks of books of my own to read. Lately, though, I’ve found myself in three book groups. It so...
I confess that I, too, have been using the word “unprecedented” to describe our current condition during this COVID-19 pandemic. And in so many ways, the word seems to fit. But then I came across these lines in Bill Bryson’s book, Shakespeare: The World as Stage, “London’s theaters were officially ordered shut, and would remain...
I raised three awesome teenagers. I never would’ve guessed when my children were toddlers that I’d be able to say that someday. People were constantly reminding me to “enjoy them while they’re little, because someday they’ll be rotten teenagers.” I was also told to enjoy them while they still wanted to be around me, because...
The other day, I was sitting at the dinner theater where the seats are very close together. Before the show started, I heard the couple next to me talking with the waitress about whether they should buy season tickets again. After all, a few of the shows in the last few seasons were a little...
As a teen, I was such a good babysitter that I got regular calls from nine different families! I thought it was because I was always available, played well with the kids, and cleaned up the messes. Now, I think it was also because I was the bargain of the century. At a dollar an...
When I was twelve, my mother took my brother and me to see a performance of Jesus Christ Superstar. She’d escorted us to children’s theater productions before, but this was my first time seeing a truly “grown-up” play, and I was utterly transformed. I was a church-going kid, but until that night, I had never...