He hides his smiles. Or at least, he tries. He can’t say for sure why he does it. But at some deep level in my soul I think I understand, because he is so much like me. He’s self-conscious, and he’s trying to be humble. Always, one or both of those things comes into play.…
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The Guilt We Cling To
No one has ever criticized me for being a work-from-home mom. Not even once. And yet I go through a periodic…cyclical, perhaps?…festival of self-loathing. My house isn’t clean enough. My kids’ personal habits and academic/physical/fill-in-the-blank achievements aren’t enough. My flower beds aren’t pretty enough. My life is a long series of “should-have”‘s, and if only…
Read MoreMany Gifts, One Body: a first grade lesson
Alex didn’t have a good last day of school. Silly school, they thought all the kids would enjoy a non-uniform day filled with nothing but outdoor games. (Well. And Mass. Can’t begin or end a school year without that.) Alex thought he was going to enjoy it too, until he fell down in a three-legged…
Read MoreWe Are Not Rugged Individualists
A couple of weeks ago, I posted a piece of fiction called “Makeover.” It’s about a woman whose life is a mess–grown son dead, marriage in shambles. When she sees her reflection in a storefront, she realizes she doesn’t recognize herself anymore–and she goes to do something about it. The most thought-provoking comment I received…
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Kathleen M. Basi 