Why Did I Do That?

Why I Became a Mary Kay Beauty Consultant Just As I Began my Legal Career Because it was the 1980 State Fair and the pleasant woman in the grandstand offered a free facial. Because I was 27 and had never had a facial. Because I was 27, had never worn makeup, and...

Searching for Words in a Fog

There once was a woman of age Who struggled to honor a page With some nourishing words Ones that sang, flew like birds, But alas! She was never a sage. (And such hopes are so often a cage.)   Plus it’s winter, it’s cold and it’s dark, And her mind must be locked...

A Mystery of Childhood Mementos

I wish I’d remembered to take a photo of my childhood jewelry box. When I was about 8 I wanted one with a ballet dancer who twirled en pointe when you opened the box—all the rage at the time. Instead, my parents gave me one painted with French poodles sitting at a...

A Holiday Atmosphere

If you could create a national holiday, what would it be and why? That was one of the questions I posed to a group of dear friends who gathered on zoom during Thanksgiving weekend. The question seemed like a playful and creative break from the heaviness and intensity...