Like many people who deal with anxiety, I’ve learned to live with it. And I’ve hidden it well from my daughter. Or so I thought. My own fear is traceable enough, its origins obvious, but my daughter’s fear is a mystery. She’s only 8, for one. She has suffered not at all, not more than the unconscious […]
I’ve spent my life waiting for things to change, expecting the worst, counting on crises, and planning for disasters. I watch the cigarette ash beginning to bend, threatening to break apart and scatter on the Persian rug. My body tenses, waiting for it, wanting to stop it. But I force myself to think about the […]
All I wanted was the freedom to not have to think about who held the role of mother between us—but it was clear, it was always me. “I only have a few minutes,” my mother said in her usual rush the moment I answered the phone. “But this is important. Can I come by?” An […]
Navigating the real world in your 20’s is hard enough. Try doing it as an alcoholic. If you or a loved one has ever attended an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, you are likely to have heard some variation of this slogan, “If you hang around a barber shop long enough, eventually you’re gonna get a haircut.” […]
