Remembering Mom from a Distance It was my sister who reminded me that this year would mark the 20th anniversary of our mom’s death. The day, November 1, would not have gone by without my realizing this, but I was grateful for my sister’s early reminder as it gave me time to reflect. “She justContinue reading “Twenty Years Past and Still Present”
Author Archives: marerubin
Will Starbucks replace the barista with a robot someday?
The question in my title came to my mind when I was missing my more frequent interactions with baristas in pre-pandemic times. Those interactions, without masks, would bring a little joy to my day even before my first sip of coffee. I don’t want to know the answer to the robot question, so I’m notContinue reading “Will Starbucks replace the barista with a robot someday?”
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The Littlest Hiker Learns Lessons from Dad
This photo, or a very similar one at the start of a different hike, was on display in my father’s and stepmother’s house for decades. It was on top of the grand piano among many photos of my dad’s second family, some that included me and my sister, some with our grandmother, and others showingContinue reading “The Littlest Hiker Learns Lessons from Dad”
Dear Mom, There are Some Things I Haven’t Let Go
My mother was 34 when she gave birth to me. I was 35 when she died. I want these numbers to match, as if there could be some kind of life-cycle significance and magical meaning to my mourning her death at the same age that she celebrated my life. A cosmic collision of age thatContinue reading “Dear Mom, There are Some Things I Haven’t Let Go”
In Many Ways She is Nothing Like Me
When my daughter was a little girl, she would scamper to the top of one of the big rocks in Central Park, find the highest point, stand tall, and start singing. This big voice would bellow out of this adorable little girl. Often it was Baby Beluga. Sometimes Puff the Magic Dragon. Maybe even theContinue reading “In Many Ways She is Nothing Like Me”
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A Walk with Expectations
We walked peacefully in the woods, enjoying an easy trail in a dense 55-acre preserve that holds a steep ravine and babbling brook below. This intimate forest welcomes us into its calm atmosphere any time we choose to venture off the road. Our new traction cleats wrapped around our boots give us confidence that weContinue reading “A Walk with Expectations”
No Sleep Till…60?
Sometimes I lose sleep. Like my keys, my headphones, and the favorite sweater I wore recently but can’t find in the logical places, I just can’t find it. I lie in bed all night waiting for it to appear and my brain to disappear. Counting down, deep breathing, body scanning, pondering when my body andContinue reading “No Sleep Till…60?”
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Without Grace
“The past is beautiful because one never realises an emotion at the time, it expands later and thus, we don’t have complete emotions about the present, only about the past.” – Virginia Woolf Writer’s note: I found this quote not because I am an avid reader of Virginia Woolf, but because I discovered it atContinue reading “Without Grace”
Treasures in the Empty Nest
If cleaning out the kids’ closets weren’t satisfying enough, finding perhaps the cutest note ever written (this from the mother’s perspective of course), turns the sense of accomplishment into a moment of pure joy. I was reminded of that question Marie Kondo asks when she forces her subjects to empty the entire content of theirContinue reading “Treasures in the Empty Nest”
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Things Change
Lying in bed on a recent morning, hoping to fall back asleep after a wee hour trip to the bathroom, I heard the rain turn to snow. I rested with a restless mind, listening to the peaceful pitter-patter before it faded into silence. Things change. So much has changed in the last eight months. WeContinue reading “Things Change”
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Me and My 50s 