Jun 22TrappedI’m a Nobody. Because I’m an English professor, the logical assumption is that I’m referring to Emily Dickinson’s poem that begins, “I’m Nobody!” While I like Dickinson, I’m making a pop culture reference, for I’m a fan of the podcast Nobody Listens to Paula Poundstone, and the term Nobody refers…Dalai Lama4 min readDalai Lama4 min read
Jun 8What’s the Story?I’ve always loved that lovable bear, Winnie-the-Pooh. Some of this is due to his own charms and some thanks to the association of Pooh with my dad, who used to say “Oh bother,” Pooh style when something went wrong or he made a mistake. We’re all familiar with Winnie-the-Pooh in…Winnie The Pooh4 min readWinnie The Pooh4 min read
May 25Rip CurrentsI grew up in Florida near the coast, and I have spent most of my life here, so it only makes sense that I love the water. According to my dad, one of my first attempts at a full sentence was “to beach to water.” Like me, one of my…Change3 min readChange3 min read
May 11Yay May!The first line of Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales is a celebration of the month of April, so verdant after the drought of March, a welcoming of spring and a time to venture on pilgrimage. But he was in England, and I live in Florida, where I’m surrounded year round…Time3 min readTime3 min read
Apr 13The World Is Too Much with MeWhen Buddhists speak of the monkey mind, they are referring to the chatter in our heads that keeps us in the past or ahead in the future with constant thinking. All that chattering blocks being mindfully in the present. My head has a troop of monkeys. I’ve always been an…Mindfulness3 min readMindfulness3 min read
Feb 9The Pirate’s Life for MeWhen I wrote my dissertation (a book-length document on the subject of my choice) as the last step toward earning my Ph.D. in literature, my dissertation director explained that a student’s choice of topic said something about her personality. I think she brought that up because mine was sort of…Bullying4 min readBullying4 min read
Jan 26EndingsMy mom’s birthday is Saturday. She died in August 2019, but I still mark the occasion the same way as when she was living. I order a king cake from New Orleans. The cake part of the name is a bit of a misnomer because it’s actually more of a…Grief3 min readGrief3 min read
Jan 19The Princess and the MarathonThe great thing about a Disney marathon is that there are all sorts of distractions: bands, character stops, and cheering crowds all while running through the four theme parks. Some runners will even ride a roller coaster around mile 16 or grab a beer toward the finish line. But even…Marathon4 min readMarathon4 min read
Jan 2The Suffering of HolidaysI love the holiday season. I love the decorations. This year, I had three Christmas trees, all of them decorated since early December. I have an advent calendar. I have a wreath. I have outdoor lights. And I love seeing others’ decorations. We made our yearly pilgrimage to Disney World…Christmas3 min readChristmas3 min read
Dec 23, 2022Christmas GiftsI grew up with the story of Emmet and his mom wanting to give each other special Christmas gifts and still own what I believe to be a first edition of Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas published in 1971. It’s the one from my childhood. The story is a riff on…Christmas4 min readChristmas4 min read
