An Imaginary Conversation with My Father

An Imaginary Conversation with My Father

There are things I know now that I didn’t know back when I was 15, when my father demanded that I justify my existence. For cleansing or healing or maybe just to get it out of my system, I imagined What If? What if I knew back then what I know now? What would I have...
Lungs & The Compass

Lungs & The Compass

“Your lungs are your Achilles heel. Or one of them.” The message was from a friend. We had been discussing my current bronchitis, history of asthma, two bouts of Covid. I give myself credit for surviving a Covid close call. It happened while staying with a friend in...
Checking My Compass

Checking My Compass

There are seasons, and there are seasons of change. Right now, I’m in a season of change. After teaching at UC every Fall for five years, next Wednesday evening will be my last class. My small-group coaching program, Memoir Mastery, opens for enrollment tomorrow....
Kelp and the Old Old

Kelp and the Old Old

Last week, after I said I felt like kelp floating in the ocean, a dear reader replied, “Kelp is very important. OK to be kelp.” She included a link to support her perspective. I learned that sea otters and kelp have an important relationship. Sea otters often wrap...
“Dust bunnies the size of Labradors”

“Dust bunnies the size of Labradors”

My friend Laurie said this to me, that her dust bunnies were the size of Labradors. It was not an apology, merely an observation. Laurie is adamant in her executive coaching work with clients and in her own life. She admonishes her clients, “Pick your A’s.” We can’t...
Roxie & Me: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

Roxie & Me: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

First, the upside, which I so easily overlook. Roxie and I have made great strides. At night, when I brush my teeth, Roxie gets up from her bed in the living room and walks into her crate in my bedroom, unbidden. She knows it’s bedtime. She doesn’t whimper or bark. We...
Jule Kucera