She decided to commit suicide, and her family objected — When I saw my friend last week, she was visibly upset. Her 98-year-old aunt had decided to commit suicide. At first, I was shocked. But as my friend talked more about the situation, I couldn’t help thinking, “I don’t blame the woman for her decision.” The aunt had lived a…

After talking me into having one — My husband knows I don’t like physicals. I avoid doctors like the plague. But when he found out our health insurance would give us a $50 gift card if we agreed to a noninvasive physical in the comfort of our home, there was no deterring him. “I’m going to schedule…

And I’ve discovered what that means — My husband asked me what I wanted for my birthday and I said, “Nothing.” I meant it. We had just gotten back from a 16-day trip to Eastern Europe, so I didn’t want to travel. When I turned 65, I threw myself a huge party that was great fun, but…

For me, only two statements were true — When I announced my retirement, people offered me the benefit of wisdom gained from their own experiences. There was a lot of advice, but five statements stood out because people said them repeatedly. Yet did those five statements apply to everyone? People retire with different circumstances, expectations, and opportunities. We…

His latest product review was inappropriate — I knew my husband would get in trouble with Amazon. It was only a matter of time. I long expected them to ban him from buying stuff. He returns everything that doesn’t work, fit, or look good, and any business would get tired of this deluge of returns. But that’s…

Covid-19 vaccines aren’t the same as other childhood vaccines — Last week, I was talking with a nurse about the high number of deaths she witnessed during the early days of the pandemic. She was an ER nurse at the time, and almost all the people who died were unvaccinated. “So many of them were young adults with no underlying…

It’s amazing how depression gets better when we dedicate ourselves to something larger than ourselves. — Last night at a neighborhood gathering, I heard some surprising news. “Did you know Vicki and Tim have homeless people living with them?” A neighbor asked as I was sipping wine and getting reacquainted with people I hadn’t seen since before the pandemic. I vaguely remembered Vicki and Tim because…

I can’t even feel a hairbrush under my butt, which is why I’m not a princess — “You’re not The Princess and the Pea,” my husband said when I sat on his hairbrush. His brush was in the car passenger seat, right under my butt. I fished it out and handed it to him. This happens all the time. He leaves his brush in the seat, I…