A student came to my office, looked around my office. As he crossed the threshold, his step faltered. I turned to see what had caused his reaction—he was staring at my calendar, a Jewish calendar with a big Star of David emblazoned on it. Curious, I scrutinized him, searching for a clue that would explain … Read more
Shoes off. Coat and hoodie in the bin. Wait. My belt—I whip it off, roll it up, and tuck it under the coat. I check my pockets. Oh yes, liquids—I pull the ziploc bag out of my backpack. I think I’ve got it all. Oops, the iPad. I sigh as I reach over to get … Read more
Is this it? Have I finally found that elusive magic pain killer? Living a full life comes at a price. Among many other symptoms, I suffer from extreme fatigue and debilitating headaches. Spending my life hiding a darkened room is not an option. I will not surrender to my damaged brain. I recently returned from … Read more
I paused, took a deep breath, then read through the problem again. It still looked like a tangle of black yarn with no beginning and no end. Okay, okay, I can do this. Line by line. Sentence by sentence. I read the first sentence: “An island is 2 miles due north of its closest point … Read more
I pulled away from the gas pump— Klunk! I looked to Joyce. “What the hell was that?” “I think that must have been the nozzle.” I drew a blank. “What do you mean it was the nozzle? Which nozzle?” Joyce shrugged. “The gas nozzle. I guess you forgot to take it out.” My inner volcano, … Read more
I thanked my Facebook friends for their good wishes. “You’ve warmed the cockles of my heart.” scrolled down some more and logged out. Eyelids heavy, I put my phone down, and rolled over. I was confident I’d get back to sleep. I sank into my pillow, relaxed my muscles one by one, and focused on … Read more
On the phone to my friend, Cindy, voice quivering, occasionally leaking tears, at one point sobbing, I hoped for some answers. What was going on? Why was I so upset? When I noticed that over the last couple of weeks I occasionally became weepy for no apparent reason, I thought that hormones, or exhaustion induced … Read more
Hot dry air slammed into me as I exited the cinema. My brain, heavy, pressed against my skull, cutting off my neural pathways. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t move A thought, sluggish, rose in a thick bubble to the surface of the thick soup that was my mind. It became recognizable when the bubble popped … Read more
Pixabay https://pixabay.com/en/flash-thunderstorm-super-cell-2568383/ I remember standing with Mum at the window, watching a thunderstorm. I remember oohing and aahing over the light show. Taking fierce joy in the pouring rain, the glorious lightening preceding the crash of thunder, I forgot my brothers and my mother beside me. At one point, shortly after the show began, Mum … Read more