I had a piece to post for today. But now my dog is dying. I had a whole list of errands, assignments and people to see but it’s all fallen away. As my dog lay dying. I’ve come through that part where she might get better, where I thought I…

There was a distinct scent inside a bowling alley in rough and tumble Brooklyn in the 1970s — metallic and dusty, the indelible whiff of last night’s beer, watery cheese fries, and cigarette smoke on the stale air. …

Since last week left you on a cliffhanger, let’s just say I was right about the cruise and not at all disappointed. After all, I’ve experienced my entire lifecycle on a cruise. It began as an adolescent, when my grandparents took my sister and myself on one. I don’t remember…

We’d already decided that we were going on vacation with our couple friends. But landing on where to travel seemed like an agreement we were never going to come to in the middle of our busy families and lives. They are among our closest people — chosen family. He’s steady…

Throughout my life, I was an enthusiastic participant in book clubs. I liked the company, reading in a community, and finding commonality amongst people who were genuinely interesting. Sometimes they’d suggest a book I wouldn’t have picked up myself. These were my favorite months — discovery, conversation and desserts overflowing…

A full home is the ultimate sign of a life well lived. Or so I told myself. As an early adopter of the work-at-home lifestyle, I had to leave my cubicle in order to find colleagues. Before Zoom, anyway. To hear this story read by the author, click here. So I enjoy throwing a party. But I let go of…

To hear this story read by the author, click here. I was going to write a quick poem. It would have been something cute about how New Year’s is nothing; a construct laid down by exhausted people looking to unwind with something that isn’t Christmas. After all, the Gregorian is…

To hear this story read by the author, click here. In the before times, this season’s sales came roaring in like a tanker battalion. Their frontlines screamed from the television at regular intervals during all my favorites shows come Thanksgiving. Year round they were fun, lavish, unavoidable things to watch…

My parents didn’t believe in toys. They were not ones for playing games, though my mother did love a good round of cribbage and the New York Times crossword puzzles. For his part, my father played blackjack and the stock market with the best of them. The first gifts I…