Columns

Three years into my collaboration with biotech company Genentech, and I still feel like a fish out of water. This is what professionals call impostor syndrome (IS), defined by Lexico as “the persistent inability to believe that one’s success is deserved or has been legitimately achieved as a…

A single lyric keeps ringing in my head from Fletcher’s latest single, “Her Body Is Bible.” It goes, “Hold on tight, when the world gets hard, this s**t’s like paradise.” The song appears pretty straightforward at first blush. The lyrics and the imagery are simple, attempting to reclaim religious…

“You just gotta keep livin’, man. L-I-V-I-N.” Matthew McConaughey first delivered his iconic “Alright, alright, alright” catchphrase in the 1993 cult classic “Dazed and Confused.” Still, it’s his character’s other most quotable line in the film that is perhaps more poignant and philosophical. When McConaughey’s David Wooderson, the…

One day about 15 years ago, I was watching a funny show. It was lighthearted and entertaining, yet one comment made me think seriously. It still does. A person said, “I heard that computers were a fad!” Obviously, it was a joke. However, I thought to myself, “Where would I…

I’ve only seen snippets from the 1994 movie “Forrest Gump.” I know a couple of its famous lines, though: “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.” I love surprises, chocolate and otherwise! Usually. In the mid-1980s, my husband, Randy, and I…

I could tell you about Old Santa Fe, New Mexico. Cobblestone streets, framed by blooms of green. The town jail turned bookstore — a refuge from the heat, and a haven for my mom and me. St. Francis’ cathedral, with winding, tranquil gardens. I could tell you about the Painted…

On a hot summer day, you will usually find yourself needing a cool drink to quench your thirst sooner or later. You might choose a cold glass of water, lemonade, soda, or iced tea. My go-to is always some type of fruit smoothie, though sometimes I’ll opt for a milkshake,…

When my little brother and I were barely out of our toddler years, there was one question I’d constantly hear other parents ask my mum: “Did your children get all their vaccination shots?” To which my mum would reply: “Yes. After their father refused to let Sherry receive the vaccination…

Back in November, the latest e-newsletter from We Carry Kevan (WCK) landed in my inbox, and this one included an intriguing request. They were looking for volunteers to serve as ambassadors who would promote the organization’s mission of redefining accessibility in their communities. One area where ambassadors were…

At first glance, my life may seem unusual. The more people get to know me, though, the more they’ll see that I share many of the same problems and emotions that most others have. Like everyone, I’ve experienced the death of loved ones. But I’ve also experienced loss in a…