I was on a dark airplane, finally taxiing toward takeoff and Birmingham after nine hours of a layover in Detroit that wasn’t supposed to be. In a perfect world, I was scheduled to be home by 3:10pm, in plenty of time to walk Marley and settle into being back home with Dan. In my not-so-perfect … More On Appropriate F*#ks
I celebrated my 58th birthday the other day, an occasion that is typically a day of reflection for me…maybe even more so as I inch ever closer to a new decade of life. I am finding that with age come some pretty miraculous gifts. Maybe they were always within my reach, but something about the … More Birthday Reflections: The Year of No
I walked Marley down the leaf-strewn sidewalks of our neighborhood on this fall morning listening to the music of Bach. I have been in a reflective mood lately, so many thoughts churning around inside my head, and Bach’s music never fails to calm my spinning brain and help me to focus. I feel like I’m … More When Clouds Part
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
When will the day come- not too far away- to let my hair reclaim it’s true shade? To welcome the freedom of silvery strands, proudly gray? The time to let go of unnecessary worries and embrace this precious, fleeting moment? Wisdom hard won, love hard fought. In youth we fear age, run from it, kicking … More Gray
For those of you have followed my blog for any length of time, you know that I have struggled with weight issues most of my life, from anorexia and bulimia in my twenties to issues with being overweight. I’ve tried just about every diet and eating plan out there, only to lose the weight and … More The ‘Fast’ Track
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
At the ripe old age of fifty-six, I have reached an entirely epic new level of Poppins sexy with the addition of the torture device known as compression hose. I had a procedure done last Thursday on some uncomfortable very gross veins…oh, wait- that’s what Dan thought they were called when he was a kid. … More On a Whole New Sexy
I have written so much about my mother, always trying to portray her as the imperfect and very real woman that she was. To me, her imperfections and quirkiness were what made her special and so very strong. After all of these years, maybe I’m finally allowing myself that same understanding. I have struggled unsuccessfully … More Imperfect
We have been talking about it for ages with urging from our accountant, but we finally went through the process of preparing our wills, power of attorney, and living wills. I felt oddly detached as we went through the process, as if I were making these decisions for a stranger. I feel relief that they … More On Pivotal Moments
The View from Here 