Articles:The Core Friend Group is a Myth Did you ever crave being part of a friend group? You know, like the one on the sitcom Friends or the ones you see on Facebook and assume are perfect and real? I know I did. Turns out it can make us feel badly. Inflammation and…
Do You Ever Feel Invisible? If so, You’re NOT Alone
Invisibility in midlife – feeling unseen, dismissed, or ignored – is an unfortunate reality for many of us. Whether it is walking past a group of men (or women) and realizing they aren’t even acknowledging our existence or our colleagues talking over or around us, it can be a rude…
Women Supporting Women: It’s More than a Hashtag
Last Thursday I drove to L.A. to attend an author book event at the Ms. Magazine (as in, the feminist journal) headquarters. Just writing that makes me feel cool. I was curious to see Dr. Sharon Malone interviewed about her new bestselling book, Grown Women Talk. I was also intrigued…
Embracing the “Not Exactly What We Planned” Vacation
It was the night before our long-awaited 25th anniversary trip to Costa Rica. I left an acupuncture appointment with eight sexy (not!) cupping marks on my back, which would be in full display on my bathing-suit-laden vacation. I didn’t care. I finally felt well after two weeks…
New Year’s Wisdom from My Fig Tree
We have a magnificent fig tree in my backyard. Every August, without fail, it produces hundreds of lush figs. I love to pick them, eat them, and share them with my fig-loving friends. And, a few weeks, the explosion of fruit is mostly gone. The dark green leaves gradually…
Savoring Summer’s Waning Days
The day before my wedding, while trying on my dress for any final tweaks, I was nervously and distractedly voicing random worries. My aunt put her hand on my shoulder to pause my anxious energy, looked into my eyes, and shared some invaluable advice. It went…
Stay The Course
This week, I was editing my book chapter entitled “Our Shared Wisdom,” where I relay nuggets of wisdom conveyed by the interviewees from my research on midlife women. Amidst all of their wonderful insights, one particular piece of advice lingered with me for days afterwards: “Stay the course.” The…
Embracing Relationship Over Loneliness
This past weekend, while my husband was in Berkeley helping our daughter Maya move, I happily stayed home alone (well, alone with Nola, our sweet doggie). While I love my husband, I was also looking forward to solo time – undistracted writing time interspersed with…
Ten Tips to Embrace the Holidays
The words “the holidays” are incredibly loaded. Just hearing them can make us freeze in our tracks and automatically start mentally writing our to-do list – the presents, the meals, the hosting, the decorating, the baking, etc. And, as women, much (I daresay most) of…
Embracing Liminal Spaces
I have a new favorite word that captures midlife – liminal, as in a liminal space. It comes from the Latin word ‘limen’ which means threshold. So, the words “liminal space” refer psychologically to the threshold between what was and what will be. Liminal is a…