Sign Up For My Newsletter
NOW AVAILABLE
Want One of My Books? Shop Cynthia’s Bookstore!
Let’s Be Friends!
What I Write About:
50th Birthday Acceptance Across An Aqueous Moon: Travels in Autism Adoption Advocacy Anger Anxiety Art Authenticity Autism Behavioral Issues Change Creativity Dating Divorce Expectations Family Fear Finishing Line Press Gratitude Holidays IEPs Letting Go Memoir Milestones Open Mind School Parenting Poet Laureate Poetry Rapid Prompting Method RPM Sensory Integration Shame Single Parent Social skills Soma RPM Special Education Special Needs Speech Delay Story The Blank Canvas Blog Hop Transitions Truth Unplanned Life Writing Life
Category Archives: My Life
The FUN List Revised
Back in 2014, when I was figuring out what I wanted to do for Cynthia’s Yearlong 50th Birthday Bash (read about that here), I managed—sadly—to omit fun entirely. Sure, launching a project or doing something new can be fun, but … Continue reading
Letting Go of Practicality
One of the coolest things about Christopher, my new boyfriend, is that he never tells me to think smaller or be more—dare I say it—practical. He calmly nods and says, “Yes, you can do that.” So when I told him … Continue reading
Posted in My Life
Tagged Advocacy, Authenticity, Autism, Dating, Letting Go, Memoir, Poetry, Practicality, Unplanned Life
Leave a comment
Truth Equals Peace
Lately it seems every time I go to the shaman ceremony, I figure out another piece of the puzzle that is me. This time was no different. The shaman labeled her ceremony “Peace—the bridge between what has been and what … Continue reading
Posted in My Life
Tagged Acceptance, Career, Change, Family, Peace, Practicality, Procrastination, Truth, Unplanned Life
Leave a comment
Eulogy for the Old Library
A few weeks ago, back in February when I delivered my Poet Laureate Annual Report to the Livermore City Council, I also read a poem I’d written in honor of the ground breaking ceremony for the new city council chambers … Continue reading
Posted in My Life
Tagged City of Livermore, Letting Go, Library, Poet Laureate, Poetry, Unplanned Life, Words, Writing Life
Leave a comment
Poet Laureate Report 2017-2018
For reasons that I cannot explain, the Poet Laureate gives his or her annual report to the Livermore City Council in February. (I was installed at the end of June 2017.) So last week I compiled a massive spreadsheet of … Continue reading
Posted in My Life, Poet Laureate
Tagged City of Livermore, Poet Laureate, Poetry, Unplanned Life, Writing Life
Leave a comment
More Cha…cha…changes, Part 2
After an 18-month lapse in services and an autistic child in the throes of puberty, I was eager for a fresh start, behaviorally speaking. But my struggle to re-secure applied behavioral analysis (ABA) therapy for my daughter, Katie, hadn’t exactly … Continue reading
Posted in Autism, My Life
Tagged ABA, Advocacy, Anxiety, Applied Behavioral Analysis, Autism, Behavioral Issues, Rapid Prompting Method, RPM, Social skills, Unplanned Life
Leave a comment
More Cha…cha…changes, Part 1
While Christopher and I were settling into our new relationship, I had a tough decision to make. After fighting for 18 months to secure applied behavioral analysis (ABA) therapy for my daughter, Katie, I was now struggling with how to … Continue reading
Posted in Autism, My Life
Tagged ABA, Advocacy, Anxiety, Applied Behavioral Analysis, Autism, Behavioral Issues, Puberty, Sensory Integration, Social skills, Unplanned Life
Leave a comment
Cha…cha…changes
No sooner had Christopher and I started dating, than other changes started flooding in. First, Lora, one of our terrific new weekend/evening sitters, announced that she was going back to school to become a nurse. Her anatomy class fell on … Continue reading
Posted in My Life
Tagged Acceptance, Anxiety, Change, Dating, Single Parent, Special Needs, Unplanned Life
Leave a comment
Trust the Process, Part 2
After walking the labyrinth, I grabbed some hot chocolate and stood in the peaceful courtyard, talking to friends. They all commented on how beautifully my daughter had waited. For whatever reason, Katie has always loved attending the labyrinth ceremony. Tonight … Continue reading
Posted in Autism, My Life
Tagged Acceptance, Authenticity, Autism, Dating, First Date, Labyrinth, Letting Go, Single Parent, Trust, Unplanned Life
Leave a comment
Trust the Process, Part 1
By early December 2017, I had decided to let Raymond, the man I thought I’d waited for all these years, go. But letting go is never easy. Yes, I was miserable. Yes, I hadn’t seen him in over four months, … Continue reading
Posted in Autism, My Life
Tagged Acceptance, Authenticity, Autism, Change, Dating, Labyrinth, Online Dating, Settling, Single Parent, Soulmate, Trust, Unplanned Life
Leave a comment