On Sunday I saw massive lines outside Rita’s Italian Ice. The throngs of people waiting in 50-degree weather in Central PA was indicative of a long-awaited annual tradition: free icy deliciousness in celebration of The First Day of Spring. This holiday of sorts represents more than flavored ice. The first day of Spring is also known as the Equinox, referring to the equal amount of day and night experienced across the planet twice a year. For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, our days have been getting longer since December, and now that we’ve passed the Equinox, we’ll enjoy […]
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Book: Daughters of Divorce
As a child of divorced parents, the book, Daughters of Divorce, Overcome the Legacy of Your Parents’ Breakup and Enjoy a Happy, Long-Lasting Relationship, was intriguing to me. So when Terry Gaspard sent me a copy, I was excited to dive in. Daughters of Divorce is an easy-to-follow resource for women navigating relationships after a trying childhood. The beginning features a personal introduction and overview of what’s to come, and each chapter focuses on a step in the process of repairing old damages and enjoying positive romantic relationships. Throughout the book, the authors cite studies from known researchers including Judith Wallerstein, […]
Continue readingA Museum of Broken Relationships (yay!)
Stop the shredding! Douse the bonfire! Those heart-breaking mementos from past relationships can now be donated to The Museum of Broken Relationships: “Los Angeles will soon [open] its very own Museum of Broken Relationships to mirror the original museum dedicated to heartbreak in Croatia.“ Although a Museum of Broken Relationships might sound a bit depressing, I see it quite differently. Reading the article linked above filled me with excitement, hope and even peace. As a years-long fan of Separation Ceremonies, I believe its necessary to acknowledge and applaud the existence of the relationship in order to heal. We can’t integrate […]
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The Ballad of My First Car (and marriage)
My first car was a 1989 Chevy Corsica, and her name was Cecilia. I named her (as I do all my vehicles) after a song. In the beginning, Cecilia was mostly blue, but her defective paint peeled off in strips, leaving large patches of gray primer. Due to a couple minor accidents, she also sported a silver bumper and one of her 4 doors was red. The red door had manual controls where the others had powered buttons. A few months into our relationship, my dad painted Cecilia black and gave her a red pinstripe. As a finishing touch, I […]
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Get Close to Pain
I write a lot about forgiveness and letting go because I believe these tactics are critical to bringing us through our pain. But today I want to write about pain itself, and why we all need to get close to pain. Getting close to pain is pretty much the last thing anyone wants to do. We humans avoid it in all kinds of clever ways. Perhaps we overindulge in food, drugs and sex. Or we might throw ourselves into the role of parent, friend, family member or employee, and in doing so we ignore who we are. We can also abstain from […]
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