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So far Jackie has created 186 entries.
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    You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know – So Keep Your Eyes Open

You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know – So Keep Your Eyes Open

Living life with eyes wide open

The dating world is, and always has been, a tough world to be in. But when you reach your sixties, it sometimes feels impossible.

After my divorce in 2001, I tried dating online. Now, if you’ve ever tried to date this way you know how difficult it is. People aren’t always what they describe themselves to be, and I don’t just mean age, physique, or interests. God knows I’ve had my fair share of men being shorter than their profile […]

The Precious Circle

As my mother told me the same story for the third time in two hours, I found myself sighing in frustration. What’s wrong with her? my forty-year-old mind hissed. It wasn’t like she had dementia. In fact, right up until her death, her brilliant mind was clear. So why was she being so damn exasperating?

The answer was simple: she was getting old.

Let’s face it, the aging process sucks—for everyone. For the person going through it, the body starts to fail, the skin begins to […]

Running Out of Time

With my head deep into the garbage can at the local 76 gas station and my rear end poised high in the air,  I let out a wail. “Crap! How could I be so stupid? I don’t have time for this!” (Note to self: never hold credit cards in the same hand as trash.)

Pulling myself out unsuccessful, I turned to see a distinguished, bearded Indian man (complete with turban) staring wide-eyed. While he’d likely seen others go dumpster diving looking for cans and bottles […]

By Example, Not Words

As I drove home from the grocery store with my two-and-half-year-old grandson, Bo, I notice the five-year-old neighbor down the street running after our car. Delighted to see one of the kiddos on the block, Bo screamed with delight, “Stevie! Stevie! Grammie, look, there’s Stevie.”

Now, I know most grandparents think their grandchildren are prodigies, and I’m no different. While Bo is still considered a toddler, he is way beyond his years in speech and critical thinking. Having a conversation with him is not only […]

The Most Intimate Moment

Studying the woman at the bar, I was shocked she’d ask me such a personal question. After all, we’d just met. I was waiting for my girlfriend to arrive at the Los Altos Grill when this stranger plopped herself on the barstool next to mine. And, as women do, we began to chat about kids, being single parents, and making it in this world without a partner. We barely got to exchanging names when she hit me with a zinger.

“When was the last time […]

My Year of Hope

The Year 2020

Since becoming a mom nearly forty years ago, every January 1st I would sigh in relief that the whirlwind of the holidays was over, and that it’d be another long twelve months before I had to gear up again. How I loved the reprieve from worrying about presents, the over-indulgence of food and sweets, and all the hoopla that goes with the season. But with COVID-19 this past year, time seemed to march by slowly. So slowly, I found myself wondering, Will […]