Author Archives: msnewleaf

In three months, I will turn 50 years old. A half-century on the planet! Truthfully, it doesn’t seem like that much time, now. I thought I would feel different, older, when I turned 50, but my view of myself does not match what I was taught to believe 50 would be. Except for my body.Continue reading “Moving Forward”

For those who responded to my last post, thank you for the support. This community is truly lovely and amazing, and I have been thinking a lot about what you said. I have also been thinking about what I said and trying to decide how I want to proceed from here. Do I start countingContinue reading “What Happens Now?”

I’m going to just come right out and say that I had some wine. Again. A few times. The last time was a couple of weeks ago. I haven’t known what to say about it because it hasn’t been a cut-and-dried experience. I have also been a bit afraid to talk about it because IContinue reading “The Cat Scratching Inside the Bag”

Last week, Collette from Wine to Water nominated me for the Liebster Award. Thank you, Collette! I was touched that you thought of me. For those that don’t know her, Collette is a lovely person and a beautiful writer. She always provides much nourishment for the soul and brain. The Liebster (NOT Lobster, auto-correct!) awardContinue reading “Lobster Award, Part I”

I’m feeling pretty grateful today. Still trapped, of course. We’ve been on lockdown now for soooooooooo long. But also grateful. Grateful that I’m sober another day. Grateful that my mom is still healthy. Grateful that my friends and family are healthy. Grateful that I have a home and a job. Grateful that my cat isContinue reading “Both Trapped and Grateful”

This will be a brief surfacing from my deep pit of work obligations. I meant to write this days ago, but I’ve been too crazy busy to do anything but work most of the time. My partner is home schooling all by himself (poor guy!), and our house is unbelievably disgusting. But, with any luck,Continue reading “A brief and off-topic post”

Wow! It is such a nice day outside! My bedroom is on the 3rd floor of an old house, and I have a lot of windows on the side facing the yard. And it is sunny, blue sky, with birds chirping and insects buzzing, few car sounds. It is glorious. My boss just emailed thatContinue reading “Blue Sky Outside!”

Aaaaarrrrrgghhh! It’s day 20 of the lockdown now, and it’s getting to me. Pacing back and forth, I am like a caged animal, too, now. The stress of the homeschooling plus my job plus the regular freak outs my partner goes through on a daily basis is all too much. Still, I’m OK. We allContinue reading “We Are All Caged Animals Now”

It’s officially day 12 of the lockdown here, but I’ve been in the house/remotely working even longer (17 days, I think). We are a little cranky and prone to bickering a bit, but it’s not that bad considering. Nothing serious. The lockdown is easier for me than for my partner because I am generally happyContinue reading “Lockdown: Day 12”

It’s the little things that are getting me through this lockdown. Eating chocolate. Making a chickpea curry. Teaching my daughter to write a paragraph with a topic sentence and supporting sentences. Being OK with my daughter and my partner playing too much Super Mario Odyssey because it gives them so much joy. Organizing my pantry.Continue reading “The Little Things and the Big Thing”