Writing out of my mind

by Joan Silberlicht Epstein

I have been a keen observer of people and my surroundings for as long as I can remember. I sat and I watched and I wondered. While I never took to hiding in dumbwaiters (does anyone actually have one of these?) Harriet the Spy fascinated me.

I have not always spoken up about my observations, but I have always had plenty to say. This blog is a compilation of those things. Welcome to the inside of my head!

3/19/13 3/19/13

A Race to the Start

Sometimes mundane things can trigger big thoughts, like this morning when I opened the fridge. I saw the juice bottle in the door and noticed there was very little juice left in it. Not enough to fill the smallest glass in the house. Not even enough to

3/7/13 3/7/13

Sifting

Several years ago I helped my mother-in-law move out of a home she had lived in for over 40 years. Even though the move was not unexpected her final move was done quickly, inelegantly, and yes, sloppily. While I had made arrangements with people to

12/10/12 12/10/12

Fix It

The floor’s been swept.
The bathroom scrubbed.
The counters cleared.
He pulls out tools

10/30/12 10/30/12

The Effects of Frankenstorm

We are very fortunate and have little to report regarding the impact of Frankenstorm. We never lost power. The two limbs which came down in our backyard didn’t damage anything. Our basement remained dry. Our kids only missed one day of school. As we view

10/16/12 10/16/12

Momentum

Momentum is a good thing and today was a stellar day for building momentum. My husband and I took 4 large boxes of books to the Harvard Book Store to sell in their used book section. We came home with 4 large boxes of books (slightly less full),

10/11/12 10/11/12

Balance

I have a pretty good understanding of the importance of providing my children with balanced meals — even though I have been known, from time to time, to suggest having ice cream for dinner (although my daughter always points out that doing so wouldn’t be healthy

10/8/12 10/8/12

Learning From My Little One

My daughter is in the midst of celebrating her eighth birthday. For the past several weeks she has been letting us know what sorts of thing she would like for her birthday: books, toys, accessories, etc. It is a great thing for her to do as many people ask me “what can I

10/4/12 10/4/12

Tackling the Fun To-Dos is Still Progress

Yesterday I had trouble motivating myself to continue the purge. I couldn’t seem to tackle the stacks of boxes which rose like mountains throughout our living room, let alone the ones in the basement. I decided that the answer was not to

9/27/12 9/27/12

Thwarted

Tuesday was a one-step-forward two-steps-back sort of day. I had managed to cull our belongings and assemble items (clothes, toys, books) with which we are ready to part. I carefully boxed them and stacked them on the porch, staging them for their launch to

9/13/12 9/13/12

Pump Me Up

Today’s plan: drop off a bunch of the stuff I have gathered and boxed up for discarding. I started the day by getting a pep talk from my sister. She cheered me on, reminding me of the importance of getting things out of the house as easily and quickly as possible.

9/8/12 9/8/12

Baby Steps

I remember the feelings I had when my daughter took her first steps (I wasn’t in the room when my firstborn took his first steps and I really don’t want to go into the feelings I had about missing that milestone!). We were all so pleased as she carefully placed

9/6/12 9/6/12

17,000 and Counting

Today is a special day. It is our 20th wedding anniversary. It is also my 17,000 day of being alive. I could decide on a day as special as this that I deserve to be pampered – by others, by me. I could spend the day sitting around with my feet up and reading a book while