When Karma Kisses You On The Forehead

When you are married for a long time, you act out the different roles life gives you. We start as friends and lovers, become partners and spouses, and sometimes even caretakers. We make it through weddings and funerals, we celebrate success and we share losses and defeat.

And Just Like That It’s Over -A Workmen’s Comp Nightmare!

1.616 days ago my husband fell at work. He slipped on an oil-water spill someone had left unattended. An accident at work! On the 6th of December 2018, a special kind of nightmare began, one nobody prepares you for, because somehow we all think we are covered by an insurance, known to all in the US as Workmen’s Compensation.

The Amount Of Honesty

…

Yesterday, my husband found $600 at his job site. The amount is a guess. I assume it was more -four hundred dollar bills, fifty and twenties, a few tens, and no telling what was in the envelope.

The Nightmare Before St. Patrick’s Day

…

I am Irish by marriage, meaning I have a husband with red cheeks and an Irish last name. McSomething...but not the Donald. Which makes me an Austrian-Italian-American-Irish Mut.

Women’s Day is NOT a celebration of women

…

Today is International Women’s Day and a groan can be heard around the world, in the voices of bass and baritone: “Oh no!” Millions of men around the globe google the opening hours of the nearest flower shop, they buy chocolates and children are encouraged to do crafts so that mom gets a small gift for Women’s Day.

Love Acorns – The Relationship Secret

An older couple is sitting on their favorite bench under the oak trees. “Do you remember how it all started back then?” the woman asks dreamily. Smiling, the old man nods and gives her a kiss.

The Common Distortion Of Negativity

I am married to Mr. Negative, which is a good thing because I am Mrs. Positive and we balance each other out. My husband’s negativity amuses me, but sometimes it’s a bit too much, then I have to remind myself that my husband’s behavior is to be expected, my endless optimism, on the other hand, is not normal.

Out Here On My Own

1983, I sat in my little apartment in Vienna, Austria, and listened to a song I didn’t fully understand. My Grandma had passed away and without any family or friends, I was out there on my own. I didn’t know the big city, and the University of Vienna overwhelmed me. I was a young adult, very insecure and uncertain of my future. Equipped with invisible wings but afraid to fly.

Thanksgiving – It was Different This Year

…

Twelve years ago, in 2010 -the first Thanksgiving after a couple of months of being houseless/homeless- was the last time I added grocery prices up the way I did this year. For whatever reason, this year I felt the same mix of emotions as I did back then.

The Perfect Life

She walked into my workroom full of life. She was ready to learn as much as she possibly could in one week. I had agreed to give a 40-hour block class from Monday to Friday because the student was eager to learn my trade -the simple craft of furniture restoration and upholstery. She had flattered me with her request. She came from out of state, an 8-hr drive. She stayed in a hotel nearby. How could I not be flattered? How could I possibly say NO to the money?