Category: Family

Doctors Go Fairy-Tale: A Halloween Costume Twist

~ Linda Wright

My doctor told me that on Thursday she will be dressed as Alice in Wonderland. It’s Halloween and apparently all the doctors will be dressed as a storybook character. It seems a bit bizarre that someone actually assigned the doctors a role for the day. It didn’t sound as if my doctor had any choice. She does already have the long blond hair. “It’s an easy one,” she says, “All I need is a blue dress.” I decided not to mention the white pinafore which I thought might just be essential to complete the outfit. Perhaps she thinks her lab coat will be sufficient. I’m suddenly glad I am there to meet with her on Tuesday and not Thursday. I already feel like I am falling down a rabbit hole of a new medical muddle. I wouldn’t want my doctor to look at my last ultrasound results only to say, “Curiouser, and curiouser.”

Day 29 (of 31 days of free writing)

Embracing Skepticism: The Art of Questioning Ideas

~ Linda Wright

At my core I am a skeptic. My first response is often to question what I have read or been told. It’s a reflex response. I believe I learned it at a young age, encouraged to think for myself by my parents. I do my best not to take the opposing view just because I could argue the other side. I try to monitor my disbelief. Otherwise I would be arguing with my friends more often than I agree with their opinions. I would be muttering under my breath or huffing loudly in public, questions popping out of my mouth as if I was still a six year old. I’ve learned the hard way that most people do not enjoy a debate as much as I do, whereas I see disagreement as brain gymnastics.

Day 28 (of 31 days of free writing)

The Privacy Struggle in the Digital Age

~ Linda Wright

When I was young my mother insisted we have a party line on our phone. It was less expensive. I was trained to only answer the phone if it rang with two short rings. We never knew who picked up when the phone rang in other patterns. If I picked up the phone and heard someone else talking I was instructed to put the phone back on the receiver quickly but gently and never to listen in to what the other people on the line were saying to each other.

Guarding privacy is so much more difficult today than it once was. I can’t tell who is looking at what I post on social media or what they are trying to learn about me. The privacy policy statements that arrive in my email are written in enough legalese that I find them unintelligible. Strangers are able to peek into what I believe, what I desire, and how I vote. What used to be considered spying is now considered a security measure done in the name of safety. Businesses and special interest groups collect data on me in the name of providing me with what I want. Sometimes if I get what I want I get more than I need.

Day 27 (of 31 days of free writing)

Fresh Ingredients from the Farmer’s Market for Soup

~ Linda Wright

We left the farmer’s market this morning lugging our canvas bags full of greens, turnips, eggplant and Satsuma oranges. We had a few cool days last week. I actually had to wear a sweater one day. That started me dreaming of making soup. I planned to cook a pot of kale and turnip greens mixing in some carrot, mushrooms, some diced tomatoes, and white beans. I could almost smell the simmering pot full of broth seasoned with sautéed onion and herbs. By afternoon, when the temperature had risen to 85°, I felt a bit less enthusiasm for the project. I think to myself, perhaps tomorrow if I get up early. Until then I will just have to savor the anticipation of my first homemade bowl of soup this autumn.

Day 26 (of 31 days of free writing)

The Art of Poetry: Confusion and Clarity

~ Linda Wright

Each day I read at least one poem. It’s become a habit in the past few years. It’s also a quest to understand poetry. Having never taken a poetry class, I have little understanding of what the elements of a poem should be. Rather like art, I know what I like and what does not appeal, but I have little understanding of why. Often the punctuation confuses me, as does the way the lines are broken up. There are poems where only one or two lines will jump out at me as meaningful.

I take a rather random approach to selecting my daily poem, letting it arrive in my email inbox or on a podcast. Some days I even spin the poetry app on my phone. Some of the poems I read leave me feeling rather confused. I assume that those poems did appeal to other readers. Some days a poem leaves me feeling comforted that I am not alone. Then there are days when I am simply in awe of the craft of arranging words in unconventional patterns until they create meaning where before I saw only chaos.

Day 25 (of 31 days of free writing