Writing from the Heart: Preferences
The great way is not difficult for those who have no preferences.
The first time I read that statement, I was perusing snippets of the third patriarch of Zen, Hsin Hsin Ming.
Before you scratch your...
Woodside Story: No more hating
Yeah, the two sides of our country’s political struggles find each other, truly, revolting. But this is just the nauseating view developed from watching the news, something some of us have tried to avoid....
Writing from the Heart: Grandparents’ love
The difference between parenting and grandparenting is as wide a gap as a farmer is from an ear of corn.
My grandmother reached just above my waist. It's true I am taller than most, but...
Brazucada!
The word is brazucada.
It comes from “brazuca” in Portuguese which is slang for “Brazilian.” When you have a large crowd of Brazilians all in one place — like we increasingly do here on Martha’s...
Writing from the Heart: Budding artist?
I hope you all get to age 82. For those of you who have passed this ancient number, you might know what I am about to say. It’s that if you live long enough,...
Woodside Story: Pass the readers
I’m here to tell you that some of us still enjoy reading.
All the same, as a lifelong reader, writer, and bookstore owner (Sun Porch Books in Oak Bluffs, 2002 to 2008), I can’t believe...
Writing from the Heart: Aging is a full-time job
Aging is a full-time job.
I thought of that as a title while trudging through the woods yesterday. I say trudging because hiking is a thing, a word, an activity of the past. I have...
Woodside Story: The joy of pets
For those of us seniors who love animals — seemingly loving them beyond life itself (come on, admit it, it’s that meaningful) — figuring out a way to make our last chapter desirable can...
Writing from the Heart: Different isn’t weird
The other night at a small dinner, one of our friends said she had just come back from Charlottesville, where she attended her 20th Dave Matthews concert this year. Someone said, “You traveled 20...
Woodside Story: The boogeyman of old age
It probably wouldn’t matter to us if the only downside to elderliness was, well, to put it bluntly, looking crappy. We do endure that awful specter; crepey skin, gray hair standing in tufts on...
Writing from the Heart: Opposites attract
We've all heard the expression “opposites attract,” and I have to admit that my husband and I are almost the perfect example of that phrase. And it was never more obvious than what happened...
Woodside Story: Ancestors
So your mother was an opera singer who married an American G.I., and yet continued to keep her bonds with her arty and famous family members in Milan? And, get this: During World War...
Writing from the Heart: Don’t jinx it
When I got married, my husband wasn't into sports — playing or watching. He didn't know the NBA from the NFL. And I loved that about him. When the men would gather in groups...
Woodside Story: Strength training
It’s not just kids who dream about being superheroes. I’m thinking everybody at every age would like to be stronger. Tougher. When I was a wee one back in the 1950s, I adored the...
Writing from the Heart: Christmas envy
Every year at this time ever since I’ve been a writer, I have written about my Christmas envy. How I wished I could go to my attic or my basement and get out the...
Woodside Story: No need to panic
We think we prepare for being old — or, to use a more shuddery word, elderly — but we don’t, do we? We back away, don’t we?
And then suddenly we have to face the...
Hanukkah traditions at my house
Hanukkah feels like the most family-focused of Jewish holidays I celebrate. So, despite technically being a "minor" holiday (unmentioned in the Torah), it's highly anticipated. For one of our eight yearly nights of Hanukkah,...
Writing from the Heart: Impermanence
My teacher, Ram Dass, used to tell a story about a guy who had a painting of a sunset. Most of the painting is blah, gray, kind of nothing. But in the right-hand corner,...
Writing from the Heart: Now is the time
Many folks who take my Writing from the Heart workshop say they have been technical or medical writers, and just want to try being creative with their words. Others have said they want to...
Writing from the Heart: And what does she do?
Yesterday I changed the toilet paper roll for the first time in 20 years. No, we haven't been using the same original roll for 20 years. It’s just that I, me, Nancy Aronie, haven't...