Why I Can Never Get Divorced
“Did you hear the news about Ben Affleck?” Diego, my 30-year-old autistic son, asked me this past summer. “No, Diego. What happened?” I replied, wondering if Affleck had died or something. “He split...Read More →
The Stranger Who Boosted My Trust in Humankind
One Tuesday morning this past summer, as I was about to leave for work, I realized my pocketbook wasn’t in my bag. It wasn’t hiding in my gym bag or the space between the car seat and door either. After...Read More →
Is All the Wedding Frenzy Really Necessary?
Over the past seven years, my two nieces, ages 28 and 30, must have been to no less than forty weddings in various states of the U.S. and a dozen different locations around the world. They’ve been to ...Read More →
The Bittersweet Gift of Family Reunions When Your Child Is Autistic
“What’s the funniest thing that has happened to you lately?” my sister Gabi asked a group of family members one evening this past June. We had gathered at the big old porch of the Lillagaard, a bed and...Read More →
When My Father Became a Revered Elder
My father reminds me of the ogre Shrek: grumpy, odd, impatient, looking to be left alone, but at the same time inordinately sweet, interesting, and self-assured. These discordant qualities have become...Read More →
First Times
While running with my son Diego recently, I saw an owl in the wild for the first time, a big old brown owl sitting on a branch near the side of the road. Sure, I’d seen many owls in captivity before and...Read More →
What Going Gray Has Taught Me about My Sense of Self-regard
One year ago, I decided to stop coloring my hair. The tyranny of needing to get it done every three weeks was driving me mad. Going gray was a stupidly difficult decision, “stupidly” because it’s entirely...Read More →
Autistic and Social: My Son Is the Most Social Person I Know
One thing I hate about my son Diego’s autism label is that it suggests he’s not social. The implication is to be expected, of course, seeing as the diagnosis requires “Persistent deficits in social...Read More →
Why Aging Doesn’t Scare Me
Since turning 50 four years ago, I’ve become obsessed with the topic of aging. By aging, I mean everything about the five-plus possible decades of life that remain for me, and what life will ideally ...Read More →
What’s All This Nonsense About Work-life Balance?
Gen Z: Born 1997-2012 Millennials: Born 1981-1996 Gen X: 1965-1980 Boomers: 1946-1964 Silent: 1928-1945 Millennials are avid job hoppers, changing jobs more often than previous generations. Everyone...Read More →