Uncategorized
A Vacation to Serena & Lily Land
Do you dream of a vacation where you leave the to-do list behind? Me too. But it’s not always possible. So when I need a mini-escape, I just flip open a Serena & Lily catalog. Breezy California-style, here I come. It’s more than crisp photos of furniture, bedding, and accessories—it’s a quick trip to Fantasy…
Read MoreThe Joy of “Normal”
When I interviewed Mary Roethler about her remarkable claim to fame—a kidney transplant recipient celebrating 42 healthy years compliments of her sister, Ruth—her zest for life burst through our phone connection. All the normalcy she’d enjoyed since the age of fifteen (when she received her sister’s life-saving gift), seemed a miracle. Freedom from a dialysis…
Read MoreProgress Starts with a Story
In the next twelve months, I’ll be tackling publisher-assigned tasks for my forthcoming memoir. Still a long way off, but each step adds another tiny drop into a big bucket. My advocacy work requires a different type of patience—you put in lots of effort without ever holding pages in your hand. Here’s a confession; with…
Read MoreSpinning Wheels
“Did you bring the rope?” I ask Jane as I grab my skateboard. My friend loops the twine behind her bike seat and tosses it to me. She jumps on her bike while I hop on my board and grab the rope. Skateboard-surfing behind Jane is my favorite activity. I roll free as my ponytail…
Read MoreI Miss You, Cashier Lady
Here’s an essay of mine published by the Erma Bombeck Writers Workshop in July. It never made it to my blog due to technical difficulties. Don’t get me started on technical difficulties, they are the bane of my existence. But now it’s October and there is a happy ending. My blog is no longer rejecting…
Read MoreA 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…
Read MoreThe 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…
Read MoreCan 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,…
Read MoreDieting, 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…
Read MoreGot 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…
Read More