Maybe she should have picked the Xs —

A surprise and some milestones — As I approach the six-month mark post-retirement, I’ve experienced some surprises, passed some milestones, and (mostly) settled into new weekly rhythms as I grow into a new identity. A surprise (but maybe not to me) I’ve always been known as the employee who thought about work after hours. Even in jobs I couldn’t wait to escape from…

You can only hear if you’re willing to listen — Like most non-billionaires, I already had negative feelings associated with Tax Day. Then in 2010, my Dad died in the ICU on April 14, a few short hours after his doctor told my brother that he’d probably pull through — because “he’s a fighter.” Dad loved kids, had a wicked…

The worst decision I ever made — I asked my Mother once what regrets she had about her life. She said she only had regrets about things she didn’t do, not the things she did. I wish I could say the same. My two biggest regrets are evenly divided between a decision I consciously made to take…

Okay, a little in the joints, too — When did I really start feeling my age? –Getting up in the middle of the night to pee, and realizing that I was walking slightly bent over. –Having trouble walking up a short flight of stairs to get into my apartment. Somehow, grunting seems to help. Not at Monica Seles…

The record button —

Keep your satin sheets, I’ll take good ear plugs. — Most people, when they think about their favorite creature comforts, conjure up things like satin sheets, a hot tub, an ultra-expensive mattress, or gourmet coffee. Mine are far more prosaic but equally impactful for enjoying daily life. Here are some of my favorite “creature comforts.”

I was attending my third summer art camp for adults. I was an eager novice — at age 32.

Mom’s rocking chair was more than a chair — I’m not sure exactly when, but long after I’d “left home,” my parents installed a rocking chair in the corner of the dining room of my childhood home. Sturdy and sized for a petite frame, it sported tufted cushions in a color somewhere between rose and brown (brose?), …