Signs

It had been an unseasonably warm day for January, the kind of weather that we’re all pining for right now. It may have hit seventy degrees by that afternoon.  The kids ran door to door without jackets after school helping Fiona sell Girl Scout Cookies.  Afterward, they took out their bicycles. I couldn’t keep up with them as they sped around the block.  I was nursing a minor running injury and walked quickly but avoided a full out jog.   The older kids flew ahead of me on their two wheelers and even Scarlett managed to gain momentum on her training … Continue reading

Saying Goodbye to the Skull Cap

Every now and then, I get this crazy idea in my head about getting together with friends who live in different parts of the country. As a blogger, I have met people, at least in that virtual sense, from every corner of the US. During the meetups I’ve had with blogging buddies, both formal and informal, I have a hard time with goodbyes. I’ve grown close to many of you. My business website has been on my to-do list for a few months now and since the fall, I’ve had a note to get a professional headshot taken. Yet every … Continue reading

My Aha Moment from #BlogHer’13: Thank You Sheryl Sandberg

I could feel the woman in the seat next to me stiffen as she tapped her trim, pink nails against her Kindle.  Crying makes people uncomfortable, especially when they’re sitting next to you on an airplane.  I had tried to keep quiet about things, face the window and go about my cry in silence, but it’s a cramped space on a plane.  It’s hard to remain an anonymous crier. I cry on airplanes often when I fly alone.  I’m out of my element when airborne, out of the place where I feel the need to be strong and composed.  On … Continue reading

The In-Between

  I’m late. As usual.   I run to the car, without the time to second guess combining the thick black rimmed glasses with the billowy skirt and the sturdy black boots.  I wonder if my boss questions what happened to that woman who showed up to interview, in the urban chic business attire, the patent leather heels, and the straightened, shiny hair,  which today, piles onto my shoulders, bigger than usual, thanks to the slight bit of damp on this cool spring morning. It’s spring break week, my work schedule at the mercy of friends willing to take my … Continue reading

Dear Supreme Court

  Dear Supreme Court,   I’m not coming to you today as a human rights activist or a gay rights activist or as a liberal. Rather, I’m coming to you as a highly flawed individual who has failed at my 11-year marriage.   As a heterosexual woman in the middle of a divorce, I’m asking you to recognize marriage equality. Because in my belief, any two people who are willing to a make marriage work, should have one. Marriage is hard. And if you must know, it’s been too hard for me to figure out so far in this lifetime. … Continue reading

Diva Versus the Board of Education

The members of Board of Education nodded their heads in unison as if prompted by ventriloquists, while we took turns making our remarks. That only seven parents out of a school with 300 students showed up did not help our cause.  Perhaps I expected too much from people.  It was "American Idol"  night after all, and after a long day at work, people needed to catch up on the Important Things!  Like playing Words with Friends! And Farmville!   Despite our pleas, the forced resignation of our school's highly respected, untenured principal was accepted. He was the casualty of politics, … Continue reading

The Coolest Guy on Facebook

Confession:  I’m not really that great of a Facebook “friend.” My timeline is one filled with shameless self- promotion. “Please buy Girl Scout cookies!”  “Come to my yoga class!”  I brag about my kids.  I get on my soapbox about rescuing dogs.   I use it to pimp my blog so that if you’re not subscribed to my Fierce Diva page, I’ve still cornered you into getting alerts about new posts (although I’d love you forever if you go like my Fierce Diva page.  I mean that).   Now, if you want a timeline that’s truly worth following, may I suggest putting … Continue reading

Finding Infinity

The fall was a blur.  Suddenly, there was one of me, and one of me to get everything done that used to get done by two.  There were the logistics of running a house, paying for a house, and being the 24/7 parent for my children, with little to no down time.   In the back of my mind, I knew there were “big decisions” that needed to be made, yet, I promised myself in the heat of my finding my footing, that I would put off those decisions until January.  The one crusade that I had decided upon was being … Continue reading

It’s Complicated

He was a sweet kid, around 20, I’d say, dark skinned and slightly plump and cheerful.  He was the resident “Jack of All Trades” at the Newark Crowne Plaza Hotel, one morning, mopping the floors, another, serving breakfast, and when we couldn’t get the sound to work on our slide projector, he figured out the problem.  He had become my right hand during my company’s annual conference. “Where do you live?” I ask during a quiet moment between workshops. “In Elizabeth,” he responds.  “We’ve only been here a year.  We came from Egypt.  But we’re Jewish,” he adds, as an … Continue reading

Fierce Like Me

The early morning hours are my favorite.  The house is quiet.  The day is new.  I sip that first cup of coffee and check email with eager anticipation of what lies ahead.  Next, I practice yoga to MC Yogi Radio on Pandora in an incense filled room, followed by a meditation session to quiet my mind and prepare me for the rest of the day. It has been said that meditation is like crack.                                                         It must be, because I never want to get out of meditation, those quiet moments compiled with nothing but the sound of my breath and … Continue reading