Last week, I was in Toronto. This was not a vacation, but a very difficult trip. My husband, my boys and I went to say goodbye. We were saying goodbye to my father-in-law who opted for MAID (medical assistance in dying) and I was saying goodbye to my mother’s last 30 years of life. It […]
Clarity through the fog
I hadn’t planned on spending 7 hours in the emergency department. The last time I was in the ER during this pandemic, I was triaged, diagnosed, treated and released in less than five hours. This time, however, I was red-zoned. I came in with a fever, and even though it was caused by an internal […]
Illness & Isolation
I’ve always thought of myself as a good patient.I suffer in silence. I try not to complain too much. I work through the pain/cough/leaky eyes and nose. But I recently had a second episode of diverticulitis and I’ve come to realize I was horribly wrong about how I handle illness.If you’ve never had diverticulitis, an […]
Dark & Stormy
The Last Day of Pompeii – Karl Bryullov “It was a dark and stormy night.” This is probably the most hackneyed phrase in literature, but it is so appropriate for so many people right now. I gave up on sleep at 4 this morning, feeling resolved to get some reading done, power up a workout, […]
Aloha also means goodbye
We have made the heartbreaking decision to not go to Hawaii over March break. As a family, we have been talking about this every night over dinner. Both Jeff and I flip-flopped every hour as news came in about the spread of COVID-19, followed by op-ed pieces about why we should continue to live life […]
Bless this mess: Coronavirus
I need to do a brain dump. It’s the only way I can think clearly about all the insanity around COVID-19. One way or another, we will all be touched by this virus. At dinner last night I blurted out “one of us at this table is going to get this thing.” I’m sure it […]