Tales of Tenth Grade

Okay, yes, this is about COVID-19, but you won't regret checking this out.  Right now it's hard not to get sucked into the global anxiety over COVID-19. I know I've had my share of mental breakdowns. I found these videos and it reminded me that we're all in this together (cue the High School Musical soundtrack) and that the dude who ate that bat soup has actually brought some good. Yes, we're fighting an awful battle against an enemy we don't even understand. But we're fighting together, and that means something.  Every day at 7:00 pm, people in cities across the world open their windows and go out on their balconies. They yell at the top of their lungs, whistle, bang their pots and pans (and a cowbell...I have a fever and the only prescription is more cowbell... those of you who understand that are awesome) in support of the warriors on the front lines of this pandemic.  This support made me smile, and I hope it makes you smile too.  I'm not ...

The topic for this month is things that are important to me, and, I decided to write about the person I probably care about the most. My anchor in the stormy waters, my inspiration, the one person who has never left me. I’m writing about my dad. I don’t exactly have a conventional relationship with my dad. He shaped my childhood and definitely taught me important lessons, but he never really felt like a parent. He is a storyteller, teaching me by taking me back to his childhood, what it was like when he grew up, the struggles he faced, the successes he had. He is a friend, supporting me through rough patches and serving as someone to talk to without judgment. He is a teacher, yes, teaching me about the brain and philosophy and life, but also teaching me how to be critical (he definitely excelled here).  He was never the one to tell me to brush my teeth or go to bed, or to eat my vegetables, or to do my homework. For a while now, he hasn’t even been around to do so. But, for m...