Certain things happen when you turn 21. You come of age. You can legally drink in every state in the U.S. And, if you have a cervix, you start getting regular screenings for cervical cancer. I didn’t know that when I turned 21. I wasn’t sexually active at the…
As much as I try to shove this feeling aside, there’s a part of me that quietly dreads this time of year. Amid the beach days, hot weather, and all the other joys this season brings, I simultaneously face a significant challenge: The medical team at my hospital is changing.
“Dear God, why did you not bless me with resting bitch face?” That was my prayer on May 23, 2025. I’d been up since 8 a.m. It was past 5 p.m., and I was exhausted from a pain management nerve ablation done that day. I was on my way home…
On the afternoon of July 7, 1997, a sickening thud and screams hailed from the front yard. Our older children, Matthew, 10, and Katie, 7, had been playing with our two dogs when one of them, Duffy, darted to chase the mail carrier’s vehicle. The mail carrier couldn’t avoid hitting…
“Connie, can we make some doughnuts?” Two-year-old Eden, with her blond pigtails and soulful blue eyes, asks me this question on a weekly basis. “Of course, sweet girl,” I reply and let her lead me to the carpet in the open space in my living room. “And how many doughnuts…
If you’re American and have attended a baseball game, then I imagine you’ve probably heard the song “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.” Known as the most beloved song in baseball, this classic tune has been an anthem of summer for decades. For most, it’s joyous. It’s…
“There’s no such thing as a free lunch,” I used to hear my parents say. “Even if it’s free for you, someone else is paying for it.” From the moment I could comprehend the value of a single cent, my parents began drilling financial advice into my head. They wanted…
“OK, so just pick up my arm and rest my elbow on the table right here, with my hand up toward my face. That’s right. Now do the same thing with my other arm. Yeah, like that, but move my elbows closer together. Great! Now pick up my coffee mug…
My mother dubbed me a Pollyanna many years ago. I loved the 1960 movie “Pollyanna,” but don’t remember if I identified with the orphaned character’s perpetual, cheery optimism or merely adored Hayley Mills, the actress who played her. In one scene, Pollyanna (sent to live with her wealthy,…
“I feel like my body is gaslighting me,” I said to my dad in frustration after checking my MRI results. While I was hoping to get some answers, there in plain sight were the words “findings are unremarkable.” Of course, this news was ultimately good. Unremarkable findings meant nothing serious…
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