In brain injury, short-term memory is usually the first to go. Long-term memories are more deeply rooted and can remain intact. When I tell my husband it’s the 4th of July and ask what he thinks happens, he automatically says, “Fireworks. The block party.” Our neighborhood has been throwing a 4th of July block party
Inch by Inch
It’s week 6 of our exercise regime and feats I thought impossible are happening – holding a plank position for over two minutes, concentration curls with eight pound weights, and skull crushers with a 45 pound bar. With gentle pressure from Coach D. and the support and laughter from companions, we are getting stronger,
Muscles I Never Knew Existed
I started a new exercise regime – two days a week, my backyard is transformed into a gym and three of my neighborhood friends and I work out with Coach D. The lawn area is for ropes, agility ladders and hopscotch. The patio is equipped with benches, mats, ab wheels, bar bells, weights and
To Infinity and Beyond
Zack and I took in the show, –Unfinished: Thoughts Left Visible, at the Met Breuer last month. I was drawn to this painting by Roman Opalka, a Polish artist who began the count to infinity to convey the continuum of time. He painted 233 canvases in all, before his death in 2011, with white
My Vision of Hell
I’m packing for a trip to New York to see my son Zack then on to Washington DC for an education conference. It’s not the myriad details that need attending before I leave — arranging for the caregiver, planning out meals and stocking the refrigerator with enough food for a week — that leaves
Oh, What a World
I’m listening to Anne Tyler’s A Spool of Blue Thread in the car during my commute to work. “Oh, what a world, what a world,” says Abby to her future mother-in-law, Mrs. Whitshank. “That’s what the wicked witch says in The Wizard of Oz.” “In a way, it sounds kind of pitiful,” Mrs. Whitshank says. Those
Be More Active!
My husband and I are in Mammoth for the long weekend. I was hoping it would snow so we could hole up in the condo next to a crackling fire. But the weather has been sunny and warm, in the 50’s, which made the late Friday night drive easy and clear of ice. I know
Why I Love Candy Crush
I am addicted to Candy Crush. And Candy Crush Soda and now Candy Crush Jelly. Why do I spend hours playing this simple game of matching three candies and getting excited about striped candies and candy bombs? It is not a game of skill or strategy and it doesn’t require a lot of thought. It’s
An Overflowing Tree of Life
The past two weeks have been as colorful and full as the Arbol de la vida (artesenias) by Oscar Soteno Elias that I saw at the Museo de Arte Popular in Mexico City. It began when both boys came home for the holidays, filling our house with cheer as luggage, presents and books covered
Holiday Cheer
Every year, my neighbors and I host a holiday gathering for our block. It’s a good time to catch up on news in the neighborhood where I have lived for 27 years. Jim, who is 95, slowly ambles up the driveway with his walker, his caregiver guiding him by his elbow. He sits on the