Marley and I headed out on our long morning walk yesterday morning as usual, but for some reason I decided to go a completely different route than the one we habitually take. Suddenly, in the corner of my eye I saw a white flash bounding toward us; a large Great Pyrenees mix grinning and wagging … More On Chance Meetings
I don’t remember when I first started seeing him hanging around our home. I do remember that he was beautiful and sleek, a confident tuxedo cat, one of several feral cats in our neighborhood taken care of by our retired neighbor down the street. We named him Romeo, as he and Shiva would stare wistfully … More Romeo and Juli-Shiva
I am trying so hard to follow a former professor’s advice, to “act your way into a new way of thinking.” I have been frozen these past few weeks, feeling like even the smallest task is akin to pulling a bag full of boulders through the desert. I’m trying to be gentle with myself- we … More Joy in Bits and Pieces
A friend from a creative group I belong to told me she has noticed that many typically positive people seem to be especially struggling these past weeks in particular. I can vouch for that; I feel like I’ve hit an emotional wall with all that has happened since March; being so ill for weeks with … More On Sinking and Swimming
In all honesty, it’s been tough to write for weeks. I feel covered in a heavy wet blanket of malaise that I can’t seem to shake, fueled by the awfulness in our country with all of the hate and division, all on top of a global pandemic. I am an emotional sponge and feel overwhelmed … More On Finding the Good
Yet again, I’ve come up to the top deck with Marley to try to make some sense of life. Initially I was just checking on our tomato plants while Dan left to teach his socially distanced yoga class at the Downtown YMCA, but the dramatic sky drew me to stay for a while; a little … More On Exorcising and Exercising Demons
I must admit that I am a bit of a control freak…I believe many musicians are because we sort of have to be to achieve success in our field. When things feel like they are spinning out of control such as during, oh, I don’t know- a global pandemic and my husband enduring an eight-day … More On Letting Life Unfold
I have often used writing to help myself sort through things, and this piece is no exception. After ending my last post with the happy postscript that Dan was safely home with me after a surprise appendectomy, our happy ending turned sour; hours after bringing him home he began to have severe abdominal pain, shortness … More On Circling the Wagons
I have crossed through some sort of personal barrier since December, one that I’ve attempted to do battle with for quite some time but just never could break through to the other side. The passage was nothing dramatic, no fireworks or grand revelations; just a quiet shift in a new direction for which I have … More On the Evolution Revolution
It always begins this way: “Date night tonight, Honey?” That is Gainey secret code for, “This has been a crazy stressful day and I need some medicinal together time at home to recharge, stat. It seems this semester that the number of date night requests have risen exponentially to almost epic proportions; yes, even after … More Date Night at Chez Gainey
The View from Here 