Poetry Sunday: “Mutanabbi Steet, Baghdad,” by Julie Bruck
In “Mutanabbi Street, Baghdad," the focus is on the human loss in the bombing, and the message is personal and painful. In 20 free verse lines, the poem takes us to Al-Mutanabbi street after the blast, in the company of a father searching for the remains of a son who’d gone there to shop for a writing notebook.
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Molly Fisk: Frozen Charlottes
It's only been as an adult that I've learned to go mucking. Isn't that a lovely word? Full of onomatopoeia: the sound being like the action it describes.
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Being A Mother — The Role of A Lifetime
Motherhood causes a shift in identity that may occur suddenly, but remains stubbornly in place ever after.
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To Watch or Not to Watch: Two New Series Revisit Shakespeare
The two series 'Will' and 'Still Star-Crossed' — in unmistakably capable hands, and complete with forbidden love and rock-and-roll — may introduce a new audience to his timeless work. Which would make for a happy ending indeed.
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Urinary Incontinence: Not Just a Problem for Older Women
The symptoms of this condition often increase when a woman with urge incontinence becomes hypervigilant and begins to plan her life around avoiding drinking, social activities, intimacy and travel.
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Poetry Sunday: “The Nurse Tree,” by Molly Peacock
There are more ways to parent than what biology can offer. We all have important mothers in our lives with whom we share not DNA but things that matter more: spirit, heart, and love.
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My Mother Was Buried on Mother’s Day
She was not only a pioneer; she was also highly creative. She painted. Sculpted. Played the piano. Wrote. This artist wholeheartedly plunged into each new art form, not worrying about being perfect. Or even good enough. The fact that she was an adventurous risk-taker in all areas of life was one of her greatest gifts to me.
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Molly Fisk: Not Quite There
None of us is good at everything. We all need help. The way to make life work smoothly is to find people who can do the thing you’re hopeless at, and figure out what you can do for them.
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Rightsizing: A Late-Life Migration
We didn’t have to move, but we both wanted more stimulation and new vistas to explore. First, however, there’s gratitude. Not everyone in his or her sixties has the health, energy, and wherewithal to move across the country.
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Adult Children and Stepmothers: Cinderella 2.0?
Elderly men are easy targets for schemers, both in relationships and in business. But they are particularly vulnerable to caretaking women. On the other hand, while the fairy-tale-version stepmother has enormous power, in real life she often feels as if she has none.
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‘Gifted’ Succeeds Thanks to its Very Gifted Young Star
'Gifted' is a family picture. It makes a compelling case for families, especially those that we consciously build, filling in the blanks that fate or happenstance have left behind.
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Spring Training for Body Renovation
We often associate the term “spring training” with baseball. More than a few women look at spring training in a slightly different way.
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Poetry Sunday: “Swimming to New Zealand,” by Diana Goetsch
"In all the flux, what remains unchanged is my passionate love for women. That love—along with the question, "Who would want to be with me?"—was my biggest fear when I decided to transition." —Diana Goetsch
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Molly Fisk: Potlucks
No more Molly's Grandmother's Famous Chocolate Cake this summer, unless you'd like to borrow the recipe. I'm going to man up for pot lucks. I'll bring the tonic, the limes, the Smart Food, or maybe a box of Altoids.
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Are You Worried About Your Drinking?
If you or someone you know abuses alcohol, consider taking steps to promote changing this behavior to avoid the many—often devastating—consequences that can result.
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Rightsizing Your Friends and Lovers
Rightsizing relationships is about the choices you make — not others’ choices — through attrition, pain, and, yes, death. Circumstances change, prompting decisions that have probably already been made subconsciously
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‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ — Cautionary Tale or Future Imperfect?
Thanks to digital streaming and subscription services, stories like Margaret Atwood's 'The Handmaid’s Tale' can find a new audience, one that doesn’t shy away from the novel’s sexuality or violence.
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Complexion Change from Alcohol and Winter Damage
The arrival of a new season is the perfect time to reassess your skincare and beauty regimen. Spring is the season of new beginnings and regrowth, re-evaluation, and cleansing.
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Poetry Sunday: “Little Epiphanies,” by Allison Joseph
Who doesn’t love a poem that trashes housekeeping in favor of epiphanies?
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Molly Fisk: Where the Boys Are
When I was young and single, a friend said to me, “Molly, in order to meet men, you have to go where they are! You know: race tracks, rodeos, ball games, new car showrooms… maybe the trading floor of the Stock Exchange.” I looked at her and rolled my eyeballs.
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Asking for More on the Job
More money, alternative work arrangements or leadership opportunities on the job are not entitlements that happen by themselves.
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RIGHTSIZING MY LIFE: DECAMPING TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD
“I never really wanted to just up and move to the other side of the world. But in the back of my mind, I was looking for some sort of adventure. At 59, I would too often find myself with people who spent much too much time talking about things they used to do. How often do we get a chance to start a brand-new life?"
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When a Spouse Is Depressed
While some men try to deny or overcome this fear by engaging in “counterphobic” activities, like extra-marital affairs or buying a sports car, others feel it more directly and can succumb to depression.
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The Wednesday Five
In this week's Wednesday Five, we've curated a selection of five commencement addresses from the 2016 graduation season by women of note — Maria Popova, Carrie Mae Weems, Sheryl Sandberg, Anne Marie Slaughter, and Hoda Kotb — that are sure to inspire and gear us up for the 2017 Commencement Season.
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