For my son’s 12th birthday, I took him and his older brother to Disneyworld. We spent the first day in Animal Kingdom and Epcot, walking nearly nine miles. My back hurt. So afterwards, in the hotel room, I wanted to do some yoga stretches to work out the kinks. I made the mistake of not […]
What They Say, What I Hear
Dinner and I have a complicated relationship. I’m cool with breakfast. When breakfast comes, I’ve recently slept, gone to the bathroom, washed my face, my teeth are minty fresh and I have not had cause to interact with any humans, yet. I sauté spinach in butter, add eggs and sausage, push the button on the […]
Color Me…Something
First, I saw this video posted on Facebook. And I tried really hard to enjoy it. I DID enjoy it. What’s not to love? Teachers, principals, students, getting together to make a hilarious and corny video about going back to school! Everybody was making fun of themselves and completely losing themselves in the geeked-out way […]
A White Girl and the “N” Word
When I was in elementary school in 1970’s Brooklyn, NY (maybe third grade?) a kid (who was white) told me I had “n*gger lips.” It felt weird, because I wasn’t sure if it was a compliment or not, but I kind of knew something wasn’t right about it. Honestly, I don’t remember how I responded. Maybe […]
Silver Bullets? I’d Rather Have Chocolate Ones.
A seven-year-old boy named Myles wrote a letter to Vice President Joe Biden with his solution for gun violence. Chocolate bullets. The Vice President is completely on board with this idea, because, as he says in his letter back to Myles, “People love chocolate.” Some fellow writers at The Broad Side had very strong reactions to this story. Danielle declared […]
If Not Now, When?
Dear America, We need to talk. I love you very much. You are a magnificent place to live, grow up, and enjoy freedoms the strongest democracy on earth can provide. Like any human body with an illness, though, as much as you’d like to look away, you shouldn’t. You have complex and deep sicknesses afflicting […]