I'm back from the U.S. and settling into the old routine here. Yesterday I was hustling through the train station to buy groceries and as usual was jostled elbow to elbow in a sea of folks making their way through the crowded banhof. And then just as I stepped down off the escalator my eyes fixed…

My husband has an annoying habit of taking pictures of me when I'm stuffing large amounts of food into my mouth. I've asked him not to do it but he's slow to train. So to get back at him I've started taking some of him when we're out doing stuff and he's staring down at…

Everyday runners don't often make headlines but recently I saw an article in the Guardian (with graphic video) that lured me in. You probably saw it, about a man who, while jogging on a busy street in London, approached a woman who was walking. He met her head-on and violently shoved her into the oncoming…

Mother's Day means different things to different moms. For me, it is often a reflection on the act of childbirth itself, on that most profound physical journey that changed me permanently. And at times I think of my children's births as metaphors for the journey we women take throughout our mothering years. It is a…

People assume that if you are traveling or living abroad that life is one big adventure, a huge escape, and that there is no time or inclination to feel low.  Not so. Instagram pics often conceal more than they reveal. Last weekend I said goodbye to my sister after a long anticipated visit and now…

Just two floors down in our apartment building is a Middle Eastern take out restaurant. It's a tiny corner spot with glass on all sides. When I run by I can see the daily routine: an older guy getting ready to open up: unpacking a huge side of meat and spearing it onto a long…

My daughter Katherine is getting married in June. Lately I find myself reminiscing back to when she was a little girl. One of the signature things about her was that she was always such a huge reader and was completely infatuated with stories and fairytales. And I remember when she was four years old her…

It's been one of those days where the moments seem to flow effortlessly from one to the next. A trek to the top of the Jungfrau Mountains, a glass of wine at a little spot in the town of Murren and now my husband and I sit at an outdoor cafe having dinner in the…

The best thing about Switzerland, by far, is the trains. They are extremely clean, always punctual, and they can connect you to any place you want to go in the little country of Switzerland. Some weekends we go to the train station and just pick a spot on the map and jump on board, destination…

I think it takes much greater courage to create things to be gone than to create things that will remain                   Christo It's the first day that it's been mild enough to sit out on our little balcony, so I fix a cup of tea and cradle it…

The great Swiss-German artist Paul Klee was born and raised here in Bern.  As a young boy he played along the river banks just a mile from our apartment. From what I've read, he had an idyllic childhood, he spent his summers camping in the Berner Oberland mountains with his family, fishing and swimming in…

It's been raining for days here in Switzerland. It's a cold heaviness that settles over the body like a wet wool sweater that won't dry out. It reminds me of the winters in the West Virginia valley where I grew up. I remember the way a river can control the weather. This afternoon I force…

This morning I took the number 9 tram from our apartment and over the city bridge to find a nursery where I could buy a few herbs or some plants to put in our window box. The store was small and was a hybrid florist/garden supply/home decor place. Outside on the street there were lovely…

None of us wants to contemplate our own death. We're not really encouraged to. We live in a culture that denies mortality, one that worships youth. We'd rather side-step the fact that eventually we will go down into the dark grave. Most of us don't have a plan for end-of-life care, or have meaningful conversations…

I believe that the more clearly we can focus our attentions on the wonders and realities of the universe about us, the less taste we shall have for destruction.                                                    …

It was completely dark in the bedroom, I'd pulled the shades down to keep the afternoon sun from coming in. My brain was on fire. It had started with a stiff neck, then nausea and then a full blown skull-cracking headache. A lost weekend. Fortunately Mac was in New Bern doing a 100 mile MS…

My friend Richard is a film critic and also writes novels and screenplays. He is also the author of a blog featuring film reviews and race car driving, along with a host of other things. He recently blogged about his issues around the idea of "branding" - the fact that these days everything has a…

Lying on the massage table I tried to quiet my mind and to focus on the massage therapist's hands that were kneading deep into the muscles of my tight hamstrings. I slowly took some deep breaths to open up the pinched places. Closing my eyes, I did a sensory body scan from my tired legs and…

The summer is winding down. You can feel it even in these last blazing hot days of August. The wildfires out West are raging nonstop as they spread across the forests that have been suffering a severe drought these past three years. The flames burn every tree and and scorch every bit of grass down…

Early this morning, the whine of power tools and scrape of nails against the contractors' crowbars chafe against my brain, interrupting my cherished solitary coffee ritual. We are putting a whole new roof on our old 1916 era house. It's a costly, uninspiring project, one that we've avoided for way too long. Last fall when…