When I married at 18, my image of what a husband was like was based on my father. Strong, gentle, humorous, courtly toward women, tender toward his wife and affectionate to his children: that’s what a grown-up man was like. Continue reading
Monthly Archives: May 2015
Item One
What if I had skinny genes—not blue jeans but the kind of genes you’re born with? What would it be like to be naturally thin? What if I were slender and willowy, the way tall women like me are supposed to be? What if I were like my mom, who always had low blood pressure and lost weight when she was stressed? What if I had a fast metabolism so I couldn’t bear to sit still and could eat anything I wanted and never gain an ounce? Continue reading
Ambush
My eyesight is failing fast. For years I have had both macular degeneration and glaucoma, but my eye doctor and I have kept them at bay with twice-daily drops and special vitamins. Now I’m having more trouble reading and watching TV. Two of my near ancestors were blind in old age. So I’m thinking about what my life will be like if my sight goes before I do. Writing is what I would miss the most; it’s how I think, maintain my equilibrium, make sense of life or concede that I can’t. I’m so used to finding words for my thoughts and reading them back that I don’t know how I could remember them otherwise. And that’s not even talking about the lists I jot down every day and depend on to organize my life. Continue reading