Infertility Survivors Finally Heard
Who knew a sinus problem could lead to a metaphor? For the past year I’ve been fighting all sorts of chronic upper respiratory issues but this morning I woke up not only with a clear head but breathing more deeply than I have in years — and I mean deep, delicious, oxygen-pumping breaths that flooded…
Floaty, muddle-headed, dazed. That pretty well describes me today, compliments of a sinusitis, decongestants and irregular sleep. Yet, being the type-A, gotta be productive, restless kind of gal that I am, I hatched an action plan: Surf, browse and catalog. Fortunately, it requires little in the way of exertion, minimal brain function and serves a…
Some weeks are routine and barely rate a mention. The people look the same. Conversations cover the usual territory. No insights … And then this week. It’s been positively trippy with insights and validations of our ‘truth.’ I’ve had a steady stream of conversations and emails — from Finland to Rhode Island to Southern California…
A raw set of ideas preoccupied me as my oatmeal grew cold. I focused all my attention on the computer screen hoping the blinking cursor would magically lead me to the right metaphors or punchy soundbytes. I’ve been sleeping fitfully lately while my subconscious busily searches for a set of ideas that can be shaped…
Some days it’s hard to know if we’re living in 2010 or 1985. The jacket copy of Gail Collins’ book, When Everything Changed: The Amazing Journey of American Women from 1960 to the Present, assures readers they “will be startled.” That’s true. The book is chock full of anecdotes and insights chronicling how women’s roles…
The past week or so I’ve sensed a certain je ne sais quoi. On a personal note, I have been feeling life, identity, belonging in a way that seems natural, nothing forced, no pretending. You could say I’ve been getting a new groove on. It occurred to me that I’ve been so immersed in my…
“The minute you retire, it’s as if you’re invisible.” I had to do a double-take when I read that sentence in an article about how difficult it is to get Stanford profs to make space for younger faculty. What my brain read was “the minute you’re infertile, it’s as if you’re invisible.” Funny thing my…
It was mid-afternoon in the Sierra Nevada Mountains when the email arrived. Three loads of laundry had been folded and tucked back into their rightful place. The kitchen floor glistened, still fresh from a serious mopping with Murphy’s Oil Soap. Digital images stored in my computer held joy and wonder from a long holiday weekend…
The latest contributor to our Tapestry of Voices is Lisa Manterfield, a Southern California-based writer. After making the decision to live child-free, she founded the online community, Life Without Baby, for women who do not have children, whether by chance, choice or circumstance. Her piece, below, first ran last month in the Los Angeles Times. I was five…
Aging once felt like an enemy, a fiendish process that compounded an already maddening battle with the forces of biology. Not any longer. Tomorrow, I welcome 47. So what are some thoughts that come to mind as I move closer to 50 than 40 (!!) ? When did 47 stop feeling old? My grandma Stella…