Did You Smile Today?
Sometimes I catch a glimpse of my face in the mirror, and I’m scowling, and I don’t even know why. Then I actively force a smile to see if it changes the mood. And you know, it actually helps.
Illustration by Alyssa Duhe
Couples Plus One
This weekend, I was in San Francisco to celebrate a few joyous occasions. A friend recently got married (quietly, his second), and a member of my extended family boisterously became engaged (his first). We lounged around the table at one of the Bay Area’s great restaurants, toasting with champagne. Sandwiched in the middle, I was probably the only one to notice there were 5 couples alongside me. Oh well. Sometimes, that’s just life. (The roast chicken was fabulous!)
Illustration by Geoff McFetridge
What’s for Dinner?
Now that it’s getting dark early, and in California, there’s finally a crispness in the air, I bought kielbasa for one of my favorite cold-weather dishes from Barefoot Contessa, a lentil-sausage soup. This is the time of year that I love cooking big pots of stew or chili on Sundays and loading up the freezer. What are your fall food cravings?
Photo by Bettina Guber
In Search of the Perfect Umbrella
With dire warnings in the media of a stormy season ahead, Californians are furiously prepping for El Niño. We’re checking to make sure that the roofs are in good shape, the windows aren’t leaking and the drains are clear. After years of drought, my rain gear could use an update. First on the list is a sturdy umbrella. Any recommendations?
Photo by Jean Counet
Comparison is the Death of Joy*
A Rabbi (who had survived two bouts of cancer) described the scenario of congregants seeking his counsel during their times of despair, and inevitably they would ask, “why me?” So he wanted to know if during the good times, they also asked “why me.” Intrinsic to the “why me” question is comparison. “Why not you,” he would say. I’d never thought of it in those terms before.
* quote by Mark Twain. Cartoon for The New Yorker by Danny Shanahan
Fall Back
Late afternoon, the day after turning the clocks back, is the hardest for me. On that initial day, I’m not fully confident as to what time it is, but it’s Sunday, apart from the work week’s usual rhythm, so the stakes aren’t that high. I’m disoriented, but who cares? But then it’s Monday at 4 PM and the sky is already turning black, and even though in L.A., the temperatures are in the 70’s, I get a pit in my stomach, like I used to in New York, when real winter was on its way. The next time we’ll see sunset after 5 pm in Southern California is January 9, 2016. Here comes the dark.
Image from Metropolis by Fritz Lang
Archive for November, 2015
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FIRST PERSON SINGULAR is a guide to surviving, thriving and sometimes just getting through a single day. Created by Wendy Braitman (more…)
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