Organic vs. Conventional Produce: The Truth About Pesticides, Nutrition, and Parent Guilt
Somewhere along the way, buying vegetables became an examination of character. A mom picks up ordinary carrots, looks at the organic ones beside them, and wonders whether saving a few dollars means letting her children down. Meanwhile, Dad is calculating…
What Cancer and Aging Taught Me About the Man in the Mirror
For the past few years, I have not particularly enjoyed the mirror. Every morning there it was waiting for me while I shaved, offering an unrequested inventory. Wrinkles. Worry lines, aptly named. Gray in the beard. Less hair, although I have taken…
Why Taking Kids to the Doctor is Actually an Extreme Sport (And Other Parental Truths)
Nobody tells you that taking a child to the doctor requires the same planning as crossing a small mountain range. You do not simply put the child in the car and go. No. First, you must locate the insurance card. Then the child’s insurance card. Then the…
Plant-Based Eating Undercover: A Humorous Look at Kitchen Compromises and Family Food Rules
The Kitchen Border Wars There are international borders with less security than the ones running through my kitchen. No one has painted a line down the middle of the floor yet, but give us time. Somewhere between the refrigerator and the stove lies a…
Living with AFib: Surviving Arrhythmia, Pharmacy Apps, and Cardioversion
“When the Heart Throws a Party,” “Call the Electrician,” Momma said there’d be days like this, that’s what Momma said. Now we’re off to the races. Once a song enters my head, something is usually kicking around behind it. Looks like today we’re back to…
The Power of Slowing Down: Heart Health, Coffee, and Realizing What Truly Matters
“Tumble out of bed, stumble to the kitchen, pour yourself a cup of ambition…” And there it is. Pour yourself a cup of ambition. Caffeine. That is what has been missing. For years I lived on adrenaline, fast-paced noise, and yes, plenty of caffeine. Now…
Growing Older May Require Adjustments, but It Does Not Require Surrender
Good morning, readers. Before we begin, did you take your medication today? Go ahead. Run and do that. I’ll wait. Good. Now that’s done, and your glass of ice water is sitting beside you, it is story time. This morning, I stood in front of the mirror…
Remission Is Not Intermission: Finding Peace After the Cancer Scans Stop
It is coming up on three years since this health journey arrived and moved into my life without asking permission. Since then, I have made changes. I have tried to remain consistent. I have eaten differently, moved more, taken the pills, worn the mask,…
“You Are Missing the Big Picture”: What Surviving Cancer and Cardiac Arrest Taught Me About the End Times
Every day, I take time to sit before my computer and write. It is becoming a habit, putting words down to help wake up my mind. Sometimes it is morning, and sometimes it is late afternoon. I work the night shift three nights a week, so the hours of the…
“Big Salad” Scares and Glowing Rectangles: Why Our Convenient World Is Making Us Anxious
The recent scare from “Big Salad” had, or still has, depending on when you read this piece, the world clutching its pearls. If the scare is still current, exhale. We will make it through this. It is going to be all right. Perhaps this is less a warning…