Last fall at National Jewish, doctors discovered that the raspiness and occasional breaks in my voice that had developed over the past few years as a result of stomach problems were treatable. So they sent me to speech pathologist named Steve who specializes in voice disorders. From the moment I walked in the office I […]
Author Archives: Weeks
December
03
Old Year’s Resolutions
posted by Weeks
I’m not gonna lie to you. This has been a really tough year for our country and for me personally. Although it’s been a great year for our business, and for that I’m very grateful, I had a lot of illness including two hospitalizations and three friends of mine died this year. A few years […]
November
26
The Growing Room
posted by Weeks
Our family spent a lot of the Thanksgiving long weekend working on our daughter’s bedroom. We moved to this house almost 6 years ago when she was in 5th grade. Her room hadn’t changed much since we moved although she has transformed into a 16 year old with a driver’s license. I feel strongly that […]
November
22
Got Calm?
posted by Weeks
If you only believe one thing I ever write, it should be to use the Calm app at least once a day. The Calm app gives you a 10-minute guided meditation that lowers your blood pressure, helps you refocus and is a basic reset button for stress. This life-changing app also offers bedtime stories for […]
September
21
National Jewish
posted by Weeks
My sewing machine is in Denver for the next week. I didn’t choose the dates for my visit to National Jewish in Denver which were booked long ago but they couldn’t be more perfect symbolically. That I am here to improve my health on the day in which Jews celebrate the New Year is not […]
September
14
The Gift of Slamming Doors
posted by Weeks
I began having shoulder pains out of the blue in March. I went to a nationally ranked orthopedics group in Chicago for medical advice. I failed physical therapy and was sent to a surgeon who is a team surgeon for several of Chicago’s professional athletic teams. The surgeon administered cortisone injections and said I needed […]
March
22
On the job
posted by Weeks
I often walk Kip (and our prior foster dogs) through a large park in our village where a handful of homeless people gather outside the public library when it’s warm. We’re training him so I always carry treats and a clicker on walks. Yesterday I saw a couple of people (whom I guessed to be […]
March
02
Kip joins the family
posted by Weeks
At the end of December our foster kittens were ready for adoption and we went to pick up foster #69, a 6-year-old Pomeranian named Wave who had been surrendered at Chicago Animal Care and Control for reasons we’ll never know. Wave had a virus of some sort and was awaiting his second negative swab after […]
February
12
The Cookie Box
posted by Weeks
A group of friends has been very busy this weekend preparing for the arrival of a refugee family. There have been countless Facebook posts within our group. There’s been a group who have spent all weekend cleaning an apartment that the landlord did not prepare sufficiently. Bill and I made quilts for the children in […]
February
05
I was wrong
posted by Weeks
Dear America, I was wrong and I will never make this mistake again. I grew up in the Civil Rights Era. I saw America change for the better. I watched my Virginia grade school classroom become desegregated. I saw women enter the work force. I saw Title IX. Our laws changed. I became the first […]
January
24
Chapter One
posted by Weeks
Today is a very happy anniversary of sorts for my cousin Marie and I. Marie and I had an emotional first meeting on this day a year ago in a hotel in California while I was teaching at Road to California. Marie is one of many descendants of a long relationship between my great, great […]
January
01
Fearless in 2017
posted by Weeks
My aspirational word for 2017 is Fearless. I say aspirational because I’m really pretty scared about what this year will bring. I’m nervous for my Muslim friends, my friends who rely on government assistance through no fault of their own, my LGBT friends, my friends with chronic health conditions who may lose their health insurance […]
December
20
Memo: Regarding my birthday
posted by Weeks
I’m reposting this post from a year ago because I need to remember a few of these right now and because I’ve had requests to repost it around this time annually. To: Those who celebrate my birth on December 25 From: Jesus Some of you seem kind of stressed out over the wrong things when […]
December
17
Refugees 101
posted by Weeks
Like many people I have felt helpless watching the mass migrations of refugees from Syria into Turkey and throughout US and Europe. While it’s gotten less attention in the media, similar streams of refugees from Congo, Myanmar (Burma) and other countries have been quietly making their way to the US as well. When I found […]
December
05
“Troublemaker”
posted by Weeks
Those who knew me as a child and teen often called me a “troublemaker.” I spoke up about things I thought were unfair at school and even challenged older family members who made bigoted comments. When you’re a child it’s a bad thing to speak up, at least that’s what I was told. I’ll be […]
October
12
I like that.
posted by Weeks
In the interest of my own mental health in the weeks leading up to the election, I’m starting a daily series of photos on my personal Instagram account (weeksringle) about things that make me happy. I won’t be reposting the images on Facebook so head on over to that account if you’re interested. The first […]
October
05
Exercise, comedy and kittens
posted by Weeks
Repeat after me: Exercise, comedy and kittens. These are the three things that will prevent you from losing your freaking mind in the next five weeks until Election Day. Let’s break it down: Exercise is a must. Not only because all of us will inevitably be nervously eating leftover Halloween candy on Election Night but […]
September
23
staying on it
posted by Weeks
About 15 years ago I was having a series of respiratory infections that were leaving me sick 50% of every month. I went to 5 different teaching hospitals in Chicago and all told me it was within the realm of asthma. I pushed on knowing that it was something else. Finally a doctor agreed in […]
August
26
Bring on the Dreamers
posted by Weeks
I turned 55 today. One of the gifts of middle age is being able, if you’re lucky, to sort through the signals that society sends you about what’s important. Society tells me that I’m supposed to care a lot about material goods, fame, my appearance and how much is in my bank account. The older […]
August
23
Tale of Two Friends
posted by Weeks
About 12 years ago we were renovating our studio and our architect introduced us to a new contractor names Casey, the owner of Loop Construction. Casey had just moved from Wisconsin for his wife’s job and to be near family. He had no customers in the Chicago area. We soon realized that we worked better […]
