Anatomy lesson, week 2

IMPUNITY My assignment this week was to dissect out the great saphenous vein. Saphenous. What a beautiful word, I mused. What does it mean, I wondered? It sounds exotic. Cobalt-colored. Erotic. Poetic. I would google it when I got home. In the meantime, I would get...
The universe

The universe

Every weekday morning my dad is gone by 6 a.m. to meet his breakfast club. I wonder where he goes, who else is there, what do they talk about? I often ask can I come with, but my dad always says no, it’s private, for men only, not for little girls. But one Saturday,...
Altars of love

Altars of love

I just totally inspired myself! I just realized with a shock that what inspired me just now was not some external event or person – that’s what usually does inspire me – but just now, I saw that what I created was the source of my inspiration! That...

Birthday

Today I called Daisy to wish her a Happy Birthday. It’s March 18, and she’s turning 80. This is a big one for her. I met Val and Daisy when I was a graduate student at Princeton. One September day in 1990, I was training for a marathon. I had just set out...

Every body needs milk

This is a tale of 2 sisters, 2 canoe paddles and 300 gallons of milk. The year: 1971. My age: seven. Hair: piano-colored. Eyes: grape. Teeth: 17. Album of the Year: Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge over Troubled Water.” Most earth-shattering event: the launch of Apollo...