It couldn't be easier. Go to a drawer and find a safety pin. Put it on whatever you're wearing, in a place it can be seen. Congratulations! You are now part of the movement to help anyone who feels threatened by racism. You have told the world that you are willing to be “a safe person to sit next to on a bus, walk next to on a street, even have a conversation with.” How sad. We can no longer assume others will accept us or even let us pass by. Because we are immigrants. Because of our skin color.... Continue reading

Write your story in six words. It's a long holiday weekend, time to spend with family and friends. Maybe you'll stay home and get caught up on chores, with plenty of grilling. Maybe you'll go to a big annual party or a town festival. Or maybe you're already on vacation, so you just need to spray on some insect repellent and go the local firework display. Don't forget sunscreen, whatever you do! As you do what makes you happy, pause to reflect on your life. What have you learned? Has anything made you especially proud..or sad? How would you explain... Continue reading

Credit: ABSFreePic.com "Don't you miss having a boyfriend?" asked Ileana, as we worked together to get Ailsa cleaned up for the day. I was in Los Angeles, helping care for my 100 year-old mother-in-law. Ileana is the daytime caregiver. My Latina friend from El Salvador married very young. She was also a widow within a few years, with two small children to raise. Happily, she met Carlos. They married, had two children, and today she can't imagine life without a husband. No, I tell her. Done. And done. Well, except for that damn single-supplement travel thing. That's when a partner... Continue reading

Happy Father's Day! Hooray for all the dads who loved their children from the day they found out they were going to be fathers. And then from birth on...right up till today. And into all the tomorrows. Best wishes for lots of recognition...and here's hoping you receive some gifts you can actually use. (Fact: buying for fathers is much harder than for mothers. Hence, the endless ties and barbeque gadgets.) Parenting isn't easy. Fathering has its own set of challenges. It's a different job from mothering. And it's so, so, so important. Kids need their dads just as much as... Continue reading

Ailsa at 91 I've always said I don't want to live to be a hundred. Why? Just so I can get my photo on Good Morning America...or is it the Today Show? Receive a letter from the president? Get a thousand "likes" on Facebook? I've been helping take care of my mother-in-law for about five years. (See my first post about her here.) Ailsa was a lively red-headed 90+ year-old who drove one of those tank-sized cars. She went to the hair salon three times a week, lived alone in a huge apartment, and hosted daily Happy Hours in her... Continue reading

"You're kidding, right? I mean, why would anyone want to leave Florida?" asked the young man who was showing me the townhouse that I ended up buying. It wasn't hard to understand his confusion; we were there on a freezing Saturday, with a high of 3 degrees. Oh, and a very brisk wind blowing straight across the fields-turned-housing. His reaction has been the same as nearly anyone else who learns that I'm one of the few lunatics who hasn't embraced the palm trees and promise of a snow-free retirement. Not to mention the fine cardiac, cataract, and orthopedic centers waiting... Continue reading

Pamela Redmond Satran (Source: NYT) I didn't write it--sure wish I had. Neither did Maya Angelou, although she gets 99% of the credit. No, it's Pamela Redmond Satran who has watched her wildly-popular poem get shared, placed on posters/mugs/t-shirts, and be attributed to the late Ms. Angelou since May 1997. (Within a month of the same year, Chicago Tribune writer Mary Schmich wrote the famous "sunscreen speech" that would be credited to nearly everyone who thereafter gave a commencement speech.) How must it feel to have written something so spot-on that it not only takes on a life of its... Continue reading

Behold the mighty envelope! I did it! Yes, steadfast readers, I really did keep a New Year's resolution and I don't mind bragging for a minute or two. After all, I'm $1,378 richer than a year ago. The suggestion to save money every week for the whole year popped up on Facebook sometime after Thanksgiving. Seemed ridiculously painless. I'm always looking for ways to fool myself into putting aside little bits of cash for travel. Even wrote an inspiring Blix about it: Three Ways to Stash Away Money. You're thinking this is no big deal, tucking a few dollars away... Continue reading

I'm in total awe of anyone who attempts to learn English. It seems impossible, even for those of us who grew up speaking and reading it. You'd think we (not "us") natives might have a firm grasp on our mother tongue, but not so fast. Consider intelligent adults who announce "I don't feel good. I'm going to lay down." So what does sloppy disregard for grammar have to do with the title of today's Blix? Great question, glad you asked. Besides the bewildering rules and pronunciations, which make English so difficult to master is also one of beautiful things about... Continue reading

Credit: Express.co.uk Men: Listen up! I am here to help you impress the woman in your life; add zip to your relationship; and show her that you really do pay attention to what she likes. (This is an update of an earlier--and wildly popular--Blix. It bears repeating.) With the holiday season in full swing, it's time to think about the perfect gift for the woman you love. I feel safe posting this Blix with two weeks before Christmas (sorry, Hannukah friends...) because many of you are just realizing that you're going to have to shop. Now, and again in two... Continue reading

Credit: sheknows.com I have three sons. None of them was allowed to have a toy gun. That didn't mean they wouldn't fashion one out of a tree branch or other material, but I absolutely refused to intentionally provide them with a device that could kill. (Also, my daughter didn't get a Barbie until she graduated from college, but that's a Blix for another day...) Why would anyone want their child to even pretend to shoot somebody? Maybe it was Vietnam. Maybe it was our own fathers with too-fresh memories of World War II. Maybe it was a past life thing.... Continue reading

Credit: Huffingtonpost.com Although you probably wouldn't know it, about half of the population is made of introverts. That's because the rowdy extroverts drown us out. Especially at this time of year. It's not just that we're quieter, but that we react differently during the social events that tend to abound during the holidays. So I'm here to explain...starting with what introverts are NOT: Shy. Nope, let's get this one out of the way first. Shyness has to do with anxiety, which can happen to anyone. Introverts prefer smaller groups and an authentic reason to talk. We don't jabber, because we... Continue reading

Deep down, we knew it was coming. It was only a matter of time before stores would inch their opening hours--and those tantalizing Black Friday specials--closer and closer to midnight. Once there, it was a just a bleep to Thanksgiving evening. Americans have been outspoken about the sacrilege of shopping on the national holiday dedicated to gratitude, abundance, and goofy relatives. Facebook campaigns have been mounted to instill guilt into the would-be defectors. Lists of stores that will remain closed ("so our employees can be with their families") are widely circulated. We're reminded that that the pure-of-heart will hold out... Continue reading

Suddenly those red cups at Starbucks don't seem like such a big deal anymore, do they? With the horrific massacre of innocent people who were simply enjoying a Friday night, we've been jolted back to reality. Back to what ultimately matters to all of us: Safety for those we love. In Paris or Podunk, we are again reminded that life is uncertain and out of our control. Terrorism is a violent act of cowardice inflicted on others who are going about their daily lives. And we're all in this together. Terrorism does more than destroy lives and property. It scares... Continue reading

What would you say to the Future You? A year from now, or two, or ten, what will you hope to have gained? What will you have left behind? What memory do you want to share with yourself? What was special about Today? Steadfast readers, I have stumbled across a marvelous place that lets you send an email into the future. To yourself! I'd give you the website URL right now, but I'm afraid you will dump me...which affects my Bounce Rate, in blog-speak. (The longer you stay on my site, the better.) First, let me tell you a little... Continue reading

Guess what? We're all going to die. And someone apparently leaked the news to the government. In a startling announcement this week, Medicare has decided to pay doctors to talk about the "D" word, more pleasantly called "end-of'-life." Not a moment too soon, with 55 million Medicare beneficiaries headed to the Big Woodstock in the Sky. What's the big deal? The way I see it, physicians can now invoice Medicare to actually discuss the inevitable with their patients. You know, get paid for what was already their job. But death, oddly enough, isn't something doctors are taught or skilled at... Continue reading

"When one has tasted watermelon, he knows what angels eat." --Mark Twain True that! Is there any other food that sings of summer like sweet watermelon? In every store now, at affordable in-season prices, get 'em while you can. How to find the best? Watermelons don't ripen or get sweeter after they're picked, so look for the pale yellow spot that tells you the melon ripened on the ground, in the sun. Pick a heavy one, too--they're 92% water, so one with more heft is likely to be juicy. Growing up, we drove to Southern Illinois every summer to visit... Continue reading

“True patriotism springs from a belief in the dignity of the individual, freedom and equality not only for Americans but for all people on earth, universal brotherhood and good will, and a constant and earnest striving toward the principles and ideals on which this country was founded.” ~Eleanor Roosevelt One of the things that folks in Academia love to do is study things. All kinds of things--with interesting results. Here are some of the amazing findings our tax dollars have supported: Rats find that listening to Miles Davis is better with cocaine Starving hamsters choose food over sex Lemon-fresh scent... Continue reading

"It is pretty to see what money can do." (Samuel Pepys (1633-1703) wrote in his diary entry on 21 March 1667) There is money squandered, and there is money that returns dividends many, many times more valuable than the cost of the original investment. Here are some things I consider my finest use of funds: Contact lenses: Born near-sighted, I had glasses at age three. Even then, I knew the cute pink frames were poor compensation for this affliction. In third grade, boys called me "four eyes." By high school, I begged for contacts, but my parents considered them a... Continue reading

I’m just back from four days at Atlantic Beach. A delightful break from the unbearably brutal heat-and-humidity of inland Florida. The craziest thing I did? Too much sun. (Yes, I know we are supposed to avoid sunshine for more than a few minutes a week, enough to spark some Vitamin D production in our pasty white bodies. I am a nurse. But admit it: when you’re tan, you feel better, look better, act better. I know I’m not alone here.) Before you write me about the dangers of joyfully languishing under blue skies with puffy white clouds: I did use... Continue reading

Remember your "jetiquette," please! Summertime means travel time. For folks who don't fly often, I'm here to help make your trip a teeny bit smoother. Two words: Flight Attendants. About half a century ago, being a flight attendant--a "stewardess" back then--was about the most exotic occupation a girl could hope for. Glamorous, elegant, able to travel the world. Flight attendants were young, beautiful, and within the narrow height and weight range requirements. Who can forget the exquisite creatures chosen to wear those avant-garde "helmets" in the 60's? Sexy, no? Yeah, well forget all that, along with full meals and passengers... Continue reading

Wild kids turn into protective fathers! On Father's Day, it's only fitting to tell you the story of two very naughty boys who grew up to be fantastic dads. Born five weeks early and two minutes apart, Steven William and Christopher James quickly figured out the power of working together. Parent-approved barriers such as cribs and playpens were nothing; they hoisted themselves up and over railings like gymnasts. They helped each other over those stretchy gates meant to keep them contained. By the time they were two, they had mastered door locks. Neighbors would return them home. You could never... Continue reading

Surely you've heard by now. Adult coloring books are the #1 and #2 on Amazon.com. More coloring books than cook books! What's up? We all remember breaking out our crayons for those dull "time-fillers" in grade school. And you, like me, probably received endless coloring books for every occasion: tonsillectomy, Easter basket, road trips... I was never the biggest fan of coloring. Coloring book= BORING. Why would I spend my time--and precious sharp crayons--on some picture that another person had already drawn? Nonsense. My mother, however, was all over it. She'd say, "Let's color!" I'd groan, drag out crayons in... Continue reading

Step aside, Baby Boomers...the Millennials are coming. They're going to change the world, maybe more than we did. And like every generation, they're going about it in a unique style. The world already knows the Boomers. Born between 1946 and 1964, we were the largest living cohort in history, peaking at 78.8 million in 1999. But now we're down to 74.9 million...the Millennials have passed us with 75.3 million on their way to 81.1 million. (Click here to see the Pew Research Report.) Boomers were promised "The American Dream" and worked hard to achieve it. In fact, we came a... Continue reading

Singles vs. Marrieds. I've written about it many times. So has the rest of the world...it's daily fodder for the Huffington Post. Seems there's always a new study showing who's happier, healthier, richer, prettier, stronger. Meanwhile, the single population grows: Last year, the number of single adults in America topped the marrieds--50.2% are now singles, compared to 22% in 1950. Pew Research did a survey with adults and found that only 46% of them really wanted to get married; 25% did not...and the jury was still out for the other 29%. Even more telling: Once people have been married, 46%... Continue reading