Nov 12Member-onlyButtercupsThe family existed in a state of perpetual irony as if eternally balancing on the precipice of an unspeakable truth. A grandchild named Janice navigated these thresholds, marked by the earth’s damp kiss on her feet and with eyes reflecting the somber shades of the soil. A grandmother, her spirit…2 min read2 min read
Nov 10Member-onlyAutumn’s WarningIn early November’s soft, diffused light, I opened my eyes to the clarity of winter’s first whisper. The ground outside lay under a crystalline shroud, each blade of grass ensconced in its own icy casing. …2 min read2 min read
Nov 6Member-onlyUniverse Board Minutes for November 2023Location: Interstellar Conference Room, currently orbiting the third moon of Zog, nestled within the spirals beyond the Orion Nebula. Attendees: Cosmic Arbiter: Spokesentity for all cosmic clusters in this quadrant. Renowned for their attire made entirely of starlight and a quirky obsession with astronomical puns. …2 min read2 min read
Nov 5Member-onlyThe High Cost of Survival: A Personal Account of Thyroid Medication Price Hikes.The escalating cost of pharmaceuticals has become a critical issue, affecting the quality of life and, indeed, the very survival of individuals reliant on medication for chronic conditions. My personal journey post-total thyroidectomy in 1990 encapsulates a broader narrative of healthcare inequities that are pervasive in our society. When compromised…Pharmaceutical3 min readPharmaceutical3 min read
Nov 3Member-onlyA Complex Family ReunionPart Four. Uncharted Depths of Loss. On the Sunday of my flight from Melbourne, we were up early. Breakfast was quiet, and we’d begun to pack. Earlier, my aunt had given me her word — like a lifeline — that I would see my mother that afternoon to say goodbye…5 min read5 min read
Oct 30Member-onlyA Complex Family ReunionPart Three A Day of Disintegration Later that Saturday, the disquieting weight of my mother’s absence solidified into a more grim and tangible reality. My mother’s partner had made it abundantly clear earlier: neither of them had space for me in their lives. …2 min read2 min read
Oct 29Member-onlyThe Intersection of SharedIn the grand sweep of existence, where each life is a story told in innumerable pages and unspoken thoughts, there are certain banalities that, against all odds, possess a touch of the sublime. Think, for a moment, of traffic lights. Those ubiquitous sentinels directed an ever-changing flow of steel and…2 min read2 min read
Oct 27Member-onlyComplex family ReunionPart two Lost in RejectionComplex Family Reunion In the year of magical thinking, one lives by the conviction that love is impregnable and that the very act of mothering sanctifies mothers. A belief that they, mothers, are oracles, casting unspoken but irrevocable covenants into the air, sealing forever the unblemished…4 min read4 min read
Oct 24Member-onlyComplex Family ReunionPart one In the winter of May of 1964, life took an unexpected turn. My 14th birthday was a modest but pleasant celebration marked by a pair of dress pants gifted by my aunt and a family gathering with a cake to celebrate. My father appeared on the doorstep after…6 min read6 min read
Oct 19Member-onlyMy Great-Grandmother and MeOur Symbiotic Mutualistic Relationship The cool air of 1964’s Easter week whispered promises of change as I boarded the bus to Dover, a ritual journey to my grandparent’s home from the clutches of my aunt’s iron grip in Hobart. The bus rolled out of Hobart at the twilight hour of…9 min read9 min read
