The Blog
A Humble Superhero Among Us
A few weeks ago, I had my second gig speaking to a bursting auditorium of medical students at the University of Minnesota. I’d been asked to enlighten future doctors about my experience living with kidney transplants. I think it’s critical for physicians to see patients as people and train beyond textbooks. So, I’m quite happy…
Just To-Do It!
Oh, clutter, clutter, clutter. It’s a bully that intimidates us every day. Too much stuff. We know this. That’s why Marie Kondo, author of The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up is a best-selling, millionaire guru. But there’s another kind of clutter that weighs us down, and it’s not in our homes. It’s in our…
Fantasy Feasts
I’m delighted that my piece, Fantasy Feasts, is featured on the Erma Bombeck blog. Link to article. Check it out. And let me know if your entertaining undertakings go off without a hitch!
The Call to Save a Life
I love stories of kindness. I know that might seem saccharine and hallmark-y. But being the recipient of an altruistic kidney donation over seven years ago, I know all too well that there are rock stars of humanity among us. That’s why I’m drawn to this lovely story about a German woman that visited the…
Can You Keep A Secret, Minneapolis?
I’m a Midwestern girl, born and bred. But college came calling, so I ventured beyond Minneapolis towards the Seattle’s Pacific coast. I took in grunge, coffee culture, the waters of Puget Sound, and a fairly consistent climate. I left the middle and found the edge. That’s when I discovered that misconceptions about Minneapolis abound. No,…
Dieting, Brains, & Kids: What You Need To Know
Diet-mania is everywhere—The Biggest Loser is a huge hit with a giant scale, diet promotions bombard social media, and we still remember Oprah hauling a wagon full of chicken fat to illustrate her 67-pound weight loss years ago. Oprah, like so many others dieters, gained that wagon of weight back. Why didn’t her original diet…
Got Clutter?
In the process of helping my mother-in-law move from her home of sixty years, my husband tossed a file of receipts from 1978. My first thought—wow, old file. My second, what about my files? Although I have no plans to move in the near future, I need to do a mock-move cleanout. Back home, I…
Be You: and Other Lessons Learned from David Sedaris
As fans of David Sedaris, my daughter and I jumped at the chance to see him in New London, Connecticut, Liza’s college town. His writing performance was wildly entertaining, as expected. He also taught us a lot about writing, less expected, and quite a bonus. I am delighted this piece was published in Brevity. You can…
Avocado
A big thank you to The Sunlight Press, (a reflective, well done literary journal) for publishing my piece, Avocado. It is impossible to articulate a proper thank you to my mom after she gave me her kidney. Although the right words don’t exist, I can try. My gratitude for my mom extends as well to…
One Daily Practice for a Better Life
Busy lives create busy minds. The nonstop thoughts that compete for our attention every day are not always positive ones. Sometimes, a steady stream of stress and negativity play like a continuous news ticker in our brains. Fortunately, we all possess a powerful inner tool to reorder this stream and refocus. This tool, or habit,…
Kylie Jenner is not a Helpful Study Buddy: The Negative Impact of Media on Our Girls and What We Can Do About It
The standard of beauty that saturates our media has a negative influence on young girls from an early age. We know this. Barbies have tiny waists and big molded plastic chests and would topple over if they were real women. Disney Princesses have nearly the same shape. And a quick glance at the magazine covers…
Life Lessons from our Dog’s Death
When my husband was out of town on business, my daughter and I Google-ed dog pictures for fun. One adorable image led to another—big round eyes, perky ears, irresistible expressions. Some quick research, some local calls, and soon she and I were in Bloomington at a dog breeder’s home. A black and white ball of…
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