An Interactive Celebration by Cathy Kern – Writer
When I was young, I thought all friends were ‘for life.’ Why would anyone ever want to finish a friendship? So it struck me particularly hard over the years when friendships did finish. Then I came to realize—and really accept— three things. The first is the truth in the saying about friends coming into our lives
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Since tomorrow is Valentine’s day … what else but a blog on love? Well, love and marriage, which we all know don’t always coincide. My prolonged aversion to the latter might be summed up as a mix of pessimism and prevention, a result of observation, stats, and a big enduring streak of restlessness and wanderlust. That
Continue readingI’d love to hear your story if you actively practiced swearing as a kid. Because that was me, too. In grade school, I was teased for not swearing. So I worked on it. Turns out, that was the right direction; there are studies now not only showing benefits of swearing, but also dismissing the notion that
Continue readingWelcome to 2018. Welcome to January … the muffled, monochromatic month. At least in my neck of the woods. Call me nuts but I’ve been looking forward to January’s snowy silence, its quiet calendar. Its deep sigh. What I once might have viewed as a gloomy time now feels like … freedom. The quiet calendar equals
Continue readingThere are six hours left in this year. A cuckoo clock ticks away the seconds as my husband makes hot chocolate. Sitting in companionable silence on a couch with two friends, I write while they read. Dusk and snow fall silently outside; it obscures the frozen lake, the pussy willows that look like corn dogs, and
Continue readingI have a distinct memory of my first stint living in Chicago in my twenties, riding home on the Foster bus on Valentine’s day. It had been snowing hard for hours, big flakes piling up everywhere, and I wasn’t prepared in any way. I had on high heels and a dress (unusual for me—especially the heels)
Continue readingI took my first solo overseas trip at age 25, visiting France and Switzerland for a week each. When my travel companion chickened out (her words!) late in the trip planning stage, my wanderlust burnt through the “OMG the trip’s off?” moments of deep disappointment. From the ashes, an idea arose: “OMG, go alone?” An acquaintance
Continue readingI used to suck popcorn. I didn’t want to disturb or annoy anyone with the sounds of my chewing. Now I eat it by the fistful, crunching away and grabbing more. Never sucked popcorn? Try it. Then try the normal way. The former sucks, right? So does the feeling of not deserving the space you occupy.
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This blog is about ‘whew!’ and ‘woohoo!’ moments … about sharing and learning from the issues, doubts, and circumstances we—and others—have overcome … to inspire and strengthen us all. By actively remembering our personal triumphs we can build confidence in our ability to handle Life. Then when The Big Stuff arrives, we can review our list
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