My 76-year-old mother has a thing for boxes and has for many years. In her mind, throwing away or recycling a sturdy box of any decent size is like throwing out a fifty-dollar bill. You just don’t do it. This sometimes causes friction between the two of us. Because I prefer to do most of my shopping online, we get a lot of boxes. Once I empty them, I set them by the garage door so one of us can take them out to the recycling bin on our next trip outside. Mom often walks by an abandoned box as if it’s a puppy looking for a home. Her: “You’re not going to throw out that box, are you? That’s […]

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I’ve been writing a newspaper column for more than two decades now – since before I met my husband. It’s a little like having a public diary. The best part of it is getting notes from readers, but the next best part is having this permanent record of past moments that have touched me and taught me along the way. In the spirit of the season, I’m revisiting the following moment – recorded 10 years ago today – in hopes it touches your heart, too. Here it is: Santa isn’t the only one making a list these days. I may not be responsible for worldwide overnight toy delivery on Dec. 24th, but my to-do list stretches to the North Pole […]

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Last week I saw something that made me laugh but also gripped my heart in the same moment. Our little beagle mix, Charlie, was walking up the stairs ahead of me. But instead of his usual fast trot to the top, he took one step at a time, stopping on each one before carefully planting one hesitant paw to climb another one. I laughed as I followed him upstairs because his slow shuffle was such a big departure from the graceful gallop he usually does on the steps. But then I realized what it meant. While we were busy raising kids and trying to keep up with life, Charlie became an old dog. Modern studies suggest that the old theory […]

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About two years ago, I bought a robotic vacuum cleaner. Like millions of other people, I fell in love with the idea of pushing a button and having a robot roam around the house cleaning the floors while I did something else. Because robot vacuum cleaners aren’t cheap, I spent a long time researching different models and asking friends who’d already bought one if it was worth it. Finally, an online sale and glowing reviews seduced me into clicking “add to cart.” A few of my friends had mentioned that they’d given their robot vacuum cleaners cute names like “Dirty Harry” or “Rosie.” So when my new vacuum arrived, I unboxed it and admired its sleek circular design, low profile, […]

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I don’t know about your house, but the standard for personal appearance has taken a sharp nosedive at the Rockwood house. All this time at home during the pandemic has made me question the necessity of several things that used to be an essential part of the day. Things like pants with buttons. Bras with underwires. Shoes with heels. Who needs them? All the rules are different now. The makeup bag I used to reach for almost every day now only makes guest appearances once or twice a week. Good mascara doesn’t grow on trees so why waste it when the only people who see me are the ones I gave birth to or the man who’s legally required to […]

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There has been so much waiting this year. Waiting during the initial coronavirus shutdowns. Waiting for toilet paper to be restocked. Waiting out the spring and summer surges. Waiting for school to start. Waiting for a vaccine. Waiting for the election noise to stop. There has been so much waiting, and some of us (raising my hand) aren’t known for our patience. But there’s one thing we no longer have to wait on. In fact, it’s already here. Discounts and deals that used to be saved for Black Friday are arriving in early November this year. If you’re in need of retail therapy, you’re in luck. Retail analysts say the pandemic has caused retailers to rethink their sales strategy. Instead […]

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Years ago, I read an article about the factors that play into a person’s happiness level, and one of them surprised me. It said that rooting for a team, especially one that other friends or neighbors also root for, can increase your level of happiness. But now I think I finally get it. After three long years of watching my college alma mater’s team struggle through losing seasons, I saw a game last Saturday that sparked celebrations in a legion of fans who were starving for it. Tom and I had gone out for a late lunch to avoid crowds and respiratory droplets, and the game had already started on television. He pulled out his phone to check the score […]

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In the early 1700s, author Jonathan Swift wrote about how quickly falsehoods can fly and that “truth comes limping after it.” Over the centuries, those words evolved to become this well-known saying: “A lie can travel halfway around the world before the truth can get its boots on.” Conspiracy theories aren’t new. Some people still believe the Earth is flat, or that alien lizard people are living on Earth disguised as certain celebrities, or that Elvis never really died. But it feels like this year has given birth to more than its share of weird ideas. I’m fascinated by how absolutely certain some people are about the conspiracy theories they’ve adopted. There are only a handful of things of which […]

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Up until this week, I had never flunked a test. I was one of those kids in high school who poured herself into preparation because I didn’t want to disappoint myself, the teacher, or my parents. That academic devotion helped me get a scholarship to college, the first in my family to get there. I ramped up the dedication level even more once I moved to campus because I knew I had to maintain a high grade point average to keep that scholarship. During the week of final exams, my mother would often ship me a care package containing snacks, magazines and games along with a note begging me not to overdo it and push myself too hard. She knew […]

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My kids think it’s amazing that I was an ancient 18 years old the first time I got a computer and learned to use it. For kids who’ve been using technology before they were even potty-trained, it’s hard to imagine life before “point and click” existed. Their generation walks around with phone-sized computers in their pockets the way my generation walked around with sticks of gum in ours, like it’s no big deal at all. I remember setting up that first computer on the desk in my college dorm room and putting in a disk that taught me how to use a mouse. I learned to “drag and drop” files on the screen, empty the desktop “trash” and navigate word […]

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