The Postscript

The Kind of Dog I Am

I imagined I was sort of a golden retriever mix. I was a cool dog, a chill dog. I am actually nothing at all like this.

Slow Travelers

I used to take pride in traveling light. I fit all my clothes and everything I needed in a small backpack or a carry-on suitcase and hit the road with little idea of where I was going. Then I met Peter.

Blooming Late

We might be starting from scratch, but we’ve got a head start. We might be trying something new, but we get credit for time served.

Forever Home

The farmhouse is where I thought I’d grow old. I planted a lot of trees. I had a garden. I painted every wall, inside and out. I thought there was a strong likelihood I’d die in that house. Now I’ve put it up for sale.

Unexpected Cowboy

I have no cowboy credentials. So, when Bob suggested I perform with a cowboy singer, I was more than skeptical—I thought it was a dumb idea.

A Night at the Funeral Home

The funeral home had been converted into an Airbnb. It was on our way—and suspiciously cheap.

Smelling Like Dog

A dog keeps us tethered in the here and now and reminds us that we are living in this moment—and that every moment in the future is imaginary.

In Defense of Pollyanna

More than once in my life, I’ve been accused of having a “Pollyanna attitude.” I didn’t actually know what this meant, except that it was not a good thing.

Learning to Whistle

I don’t think I have envied many people many times in my life, but I very much wanted to whistle when I was six.

Push-Ups With Bob

I thought things were going pretty well until I remembered the push-ups—and Bob.

Not Popular

I now realize that no one—not even the most popular person in high school—self-identifies as popular.

Dusty Surprises

My heart hurt, reading this forty-year-old letter. I wondered if I wrote back. I hoped he was doing well.

Made to Last

My grandma’s wedding dress was more than a little worse for wear. It had been folded up in a small box and kept safe by my cousin, Jill. (How Jill ended up with it, I do not know.)

The Wren House

“Jonie, come downstairs!” Dad hollered. “I think there are bats in the birdhouse!” Mom came running and they carefully lifted the back off the birdhouse.

No Coffee

My parents are great planners so there was no chance they were out of coffee, but where they might be keeping it—that was another issue.

Marital Privilege

My first thought was, “I’ve never had my head vacuumed before.”

Singing Lessons

My teacher says I have a perfectly serviceable voice—and I am 100% sure she says this to all her students—but I still find it reassuring.

Coconut Head

Ayo said, “Don’t burn yourself out. Give yourself permission to stop. Don’t use your head to break a coconut.”

New Rhubarb

The whole refrigerator had begun to resemble some archeological site with mysterious remnants of a past life that we could now only guess at.

Time and Sunshine

Traveling in Norway with close relations -- sometimes a little too close.