I had a great talk with my therapist a few days ago. I told her that I was yet again in what I can only describe as a frozen place where my anxiety is so intense that even the most mundane tasks feel monumental. I have withdrawn from just about everyone and everything and I … More A Frozen Summer and Writing Therapy
This was an interesting week as I returned to campus to teach my students. With a month left of classes and juries (final playing exams for music students) and exams, I knew that my students needed more than perhaps I could give them over Zoom. Please don’t misunderstand; I am grateful to have been able … More Up the Down Staircase
On this beautiful fall morning, my precious dog at my side, the world is reduced to the crunching of leaves underfoot and Marley’s gentle, rhythmic, panting as we walk the cracked sidewalks of our old Southside Birmingham neighborhood. Every morning, this is the start of my day (typically along with a side of kickboxing), and … More On Walking and Riding Meditations
We had our faculty retreat on Zoom this past Thursday, with my Chair jokingly welcoming us back from ‘spring break,’ an homage to the fact that the last time we were together we were heading into our spring break days before the world came to a screeching halt for the next five months. We began … More The Last Day
Yesterday was a milestone in what has been such a strange period; the last day of classes for UAB’s ill fated spring semester. I’m not quite sure how to process it. On one hand I feel celebratory relief to be done with the frustrations of having been thrust unprepared into online teaching, coupled with deep … More The COVID Chronicles: Endings and Beginnings
The day began with a lot of stress as my first news from Dan came: I have felt so helpless; having not seen my husband in a week, having no say in his care, not being there to stay with him help him as I normally would have done…it has been a true nightmare. However, … More On Roller Coasters and Angels
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
The View from Here 