The firsts. I got through the first year since Gary died. The first year of living after loss, after the world shifted. Everything strange. Strained. Unfamiliar. There are a million decisions that once were shared. They presented in a new way. My way. No longer Our way. Honestly: some of that is freeing. (that was a surprise). The tiny daily compromises were freed up. AND there was nothing automatic. Nothing predicatable. Nothing that seemed NORMAL. EVERYTHING was hard. NOTHING was routine....

It probably doesn't need to be said but here it is: I. LOVE. DOGS. They teach me EVERY day. I wake up in the morning to find they have snuck up on the bed during the night when I am fast asleep. They make me smile. They show me: Find the comfort. Even when you aren't the most presentable and are shedding that winter coat, find ways to connect closely to those you love. They say that you get the dog needed to reflect parts of your soul. To teach you. Lessons from Lena? (the yellow lab). She is...

This past month I have been in Ireland. By myself. On the middle Aran Island, Inishmaan. I had heard the Aran Islands are a bit mystical, a bit otherworldly, a bit steeped in the Old Ways where Irish is the primary language. I was longing for time away. Time to process grief. Time to myself. Inishmann was all of that. And more. This small island is rocky. Miles and miles of rock walls from one seaside to the other. There is one general store. One pub. It was off season so even the pub wasn't...