Tag: #reverb10

To Be a Storyteller

The #reverb10 final prompt from Molly O’Neill asked “What is your core story?” Being a huge fan of The Moth, and Eddie Izzard, and loving to hear people rattle off stories about their hilarious trip here and there —  and being a writer naturally — I am perplexed and in awe of storytellers. I can…

#reverb10, Day 29: Tearing Down Walls

A combination of the day 29 prompt (Defining Moment: Describe a defining moment or series of events that has affected your life this year) and my decision to finally read “Eat. Pray. Love” made me realize what my defining moment of the year was. My old friend, JD, came out to visit and to work…

#reverb10 Day 27: The Ordinary Joy of Friends

On Day 27 of #reverb10, Brene Brown asked: What was one of your most joyful ordinary moments this year? My moment was an accumulation of split-second realizations: each about the same and exquisitely lovely. They were those moments when you are looking into the eyes of someone and you suddenly see the glimmer of returned…

Brought to You by the Letter Z’

#reverb10 is asking: Prompt: New name. Let’s meet again, for the first time. If you could introduce yourself to strangers by another name for just one day, what would it be and why? My answer would be easy: ZED. “Zed” is the nickname my in-laws gave me when they met me. It differentiated me from…

Future Self: Don’t Be Such a Bitch

Dear Future Self, I hope you realize that not EVERYONE is as lucky as you are to be a highly successful author of four best-selling books. I hope you remember that even though you have EVERYTHING YOU DESIRE, that many other people still have barely what they need. I hope you know that achieving ONE…

Beyond Avoidance: The Other 4.8

#reverb10 Prompt: Beyond avoidance. “What should you have done this year but didn’t because you were too scared, worried, unsure, busy or otherwise deterred from doing?” I should have revised the novel I wrote instead of chickening out and just taking a teaching job. Because I got positive feedback from agents on it. Because I…

Healing Through Ordinariness

When I hit 40 this year, I started to feel strange. Like I didn’t understand who I was in relation to that number. It was a creeping “old and used up” feeling. But I didn’t let that hang around. At some point in our lives, we reach an age that no longer makes sense. The…

The Year of Playdates: Extrapolation of Fun!

Day 16, #reverb10, Prompt: Friendship… How has a friendship changed you this year? I don’t even WANT to talk about PLAYDATES. But this post is reminding me that so many things I thought I knew about friendship got themselves imploded in 2010 when I really had to start to understand the intricacies of PLAYDATES. Are…

Dancing with Time

Today’s #reverb10 prompt wants to know what I have come to appreciate most this year and how do I express my gratitude for it. (Thanks Victoria Klein). One word: TIME. With my new dedication to my work, along with my family additions, time has compressed itself into carefully negotiated nuggets. On weekends, when Colin and…

To Be of Use: Beyond Making Do

Here’s a tandem response today: integrating #Reverb10’s Day 13 prompt on “Action,” asking  “What’s your next step?” with my dovetailed thoughts to Tara’s question posed to us: “Why do you make?” (I am going to put aside for now the fact that when I nannied in 1989, the family used the word “make” as euphemism…

On Not Walking

Walking is joy. I love walking like I love Ira Glass and peanut butter cups. I am surprised that since I moved back to America from London, that I have given it up. Just basically decided that even though it is one of my favorite things to do in the world, I am not even…

1 + 10 = More Real Me in 2011

Day 11, #Reverb10 Prompt: What are 11 things your life doesn’t need in 2011? How will you go about eliminating them? (Thanks Sam Davidson!) The one thing I know I can get rid of in 2011 is living up to others expectations of me. This is assuming, of course, that those expectations are real. Perhaps…

Parties: Math Made Fun!

Day 9, #reverb 10: Party.What social gathering rocked your socks off in 2010? (Thanks, Shauna Reid) Here’s the best party advice I ever learned: Never –ever– hang your invite up on a wall. Parties are simple mathematical equations. They are algebra. On one side of the = sign is everything you need for the party:…

Inside the Wall, Inside the Funhouse

#reverb10 Day 7 Prompt: Community. Where have you discovered community, online or otherwise, in 2010? What community would you like to join, create or more deeply connect with in 2011? (Thanks, Cali Harris). You know what is funny? The Muppets covering Queen. You know what else is funny? Crossword puzzles. Here’s something else: transvestite tips…

It Takes a (Christmas) Village?

#Reverb Day 6 Prompt: Make: What was the last thing you made? What materials did you use? Is there something you want to make, but you need to clear some time for it?  (Thanks, Gretchen Rubin) I made cookies (seen pictured), 500 or so of them for a church fundraiser. Well, actually I just rolled…