During the pandemic, I’ve been hunkering down at our house in southern California with my husband and dog. We’ve spent many weeks at home since the Governor effectively closed the state in mid-March. Adjusting to this quieter life took a…
Author: Jennifer Kirby
After boarding a plane a few weeks ago that would take me home to Sioux Falls, S.D., a tall, lean African American man in his early 60’s sat down next to me. As we got settled, I asked him if…
I’ve always considered myself somebody who slept pretty well. If I was awake during the night, it was because something stressful was going on in my life. However, my bad nights of sleep increasingly began to outnumber the good, but…
Facebook seems to know quite a lot about me, including some rather private information. But all of this knowledge might not be so new after all.
Recently I was cleaning out my bathroom drawer and stumbled across a note I written to myself in late 2017. It said: “2018 – The Year of Becoming Happier.” Written beneath it in meek handwriting was the phrase, “Be Nice…
I had excitedly and carefully planned for our long-awaited trip to Sydney, Australia. Traveling with our dear friends, I was the self-appointed tour guide. I had scheduled some planned activities for us, balanced with free time and optional things to…
About 20 years ago, my now-husband Joe told me that he had always wanted to live in a downtown condo in our hometown of Sioux Falls, SD. I thought this sounded like a horrible idea. I love the outdoors and…
Late this summer, I took a long vacation and was reminded just how much I enjoy relaxing. Like most everyone, I’m busy in regular life and often forget about taking it easy. But man-oh-man, relaxing feels good. My days were…
I haven’t eaten ice cream for one year. One whole year! This is a miracle, given my lifelong love affair with the stuff. For decades, I had a close relationship with ice cream. There was so much variety, comfort, and…
Having a butler seems to be all the rage these days. Perhaps it’s the “Downton Abbey” effect, but I seem to be hearing more about them recently. In a New York Times Magazine article this summer, Gwyneth Paltrow talked about…