I didn’t want children, but I’m happy to have an 18-year-old blog! — I like telling people that back in 2004 the word was that blogs were over. Less than ten years after “the Internet” had become a household word, blogs were seen as this trend that had run their course and now people had moved on. It made sense. In 2004 we…

I’m a copywriter and my clients are those in the healing arts. Why? — My copywriting business, The Detail Conductor, specializes in writing services that support alternative healers, spiritual entrepreneurs and those who serve the open-minded. Why? Because of the experience I’ve had with my healing. A Singer without a Voice In the winter of 1993 I was working hard on my vocal skills…

We get to choose where we’ll be buried. Why not be allowed to choose where we’ll die? — I am 55 and a half years old. My father is old. He lives alone in California with no family nearby. I live in Chicago and almost everyone else in the family lives in Houston. Because of certain health conditions, it would have been an excellent idea for my dad…

Is an old person in your life driving you absolutely crazy? — A few weeks ago I watched one of those movies/shows that’s about a human being who gradually realizes they’re not a human being, but an android or clone. This poor character has a brain loaded with memories of having a full life and a home he thought he’d return to…

And where I live might be the most uncomfortable of all — It’s surprising and deeply disappointing to me that as the planet opens up and countries leave their COVID restrictions behind, this is when I feel most keenly the absence of friends who are avoiding me for being unvaccinated. Is avoiding unvaccinated people really about reducing viral exposure? How can it…

Social distancing PLUS needing to stay unvaccinated for health reasons. — I used to work in the polio eradication division of Rotary International. I coordinated meetings that included representatives from Rotary, the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. We were allied to immunize every child in the world against polio.

Tired of the icky-sweet stuff? Try these. — I like Christmas movies, but not the ones that focus on children or thin white people realizing they’ve found the love of their lives. Here are 10 movies I’ve enjoyed that have Christmas as a central part of the plot, but that don’t feature any of that stuff. In chronological…

Christmas 2020 sucked. Christmas 2021 was supposed to be better. — I love Christmas. December is my favorite month and Christmas is my favorite holiday. Without family in Illinois, there have been years when I spent Christmas Day all alone, creating my own private holiday and still loved it. It didn’t matter what I did on Christmas because I knew I…

Light, warmth and love can counteract those long nights. — To my fellow U.S. dwellers: however short the days feel right now, consider the Norwegians. Their days have ended shortly after 4 p.m. for weeks now. I hear countless people here complain about how early it gets dark, but unless you suffer from a disorder that’s directly worsened by less…