I work from home. Some people think that this means I do whatever I want all the time. Not true. I have a daily routine that begins at 8:30 a.m. in my home office where I read, research, write, plan, learn and network my way through this freelance life. I break midday for an hour …
Motivation
Providence; Or, how God is still speaking
I am a member of a UCC church – United Church of Christ, a blend of Congregational, Christian, Evangelical and Reformed denominations. We roll fairly liberal, siding with progressive just-causes and civil equality since the mid-17th century. Some may think this makes us “Christianity-lite.” Others don’t think much of us at all, lumping us in …
Acting the Part
Summertime when we were kids 25-30 years ago (cringe with me, friends) may have been the last gasps of unstructured play. The moms were mostly home and if not, an older sibling and anyone else home on the street were accepted as generally enough supervision. These moms did not want their kids or anyone else’s …
Adventures in Babysitting: Part-Time Gig
March is unusually warm this year in the northeast, drenching recent days in sunshine that has beckoned to the crocuses to come out and play. This has been fortuitous, as my new boss demands that we spend much of our time outdoors. My new boss is seven years old. My nephew K. is in first …
Transition
A dear friend at church was so ecstatic over my “retirement” that she treated me to a fancy lunch last week. We had a lovely afternoon visiting over a delicious meal and lingering over tea. The day before I had treated myself to a massage, and all week pretty much luxuriated in a sweatpants-and-no-makeup existence. …
Graceful Exit vs. Grand Entrance
On the one hand, I am unemployed. This Friday past was my last day at The Job, the one I QUIT, having given notice four weeks ago. The original plan had been to spend the winter and spring continuing to prepare for starting a freelance business. I’ve heard a saying…when one makes plans, God laughs. …
You’ve Got The Look
2011 is the year that I really started to “go gray.” The light would hit just right as I used a mirror, and a new silver flash seemed to appear on a monthly basis. The one gray hair I had for years hidden in the unruly brown pixie atop my head suddenly has many companions. …
Opening
Five years ago this Christmas, I gave The Husband a digital SLR camera. His film rig, which is a fairly professional set-up, had been gathering dust for a few years at that point. As the prolonged death of film photography hastened, so did his interest in taking pictures. He studied photography in college and already …