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“The social scientists have concluded that the country is more polarized than at any time since the Civil War.” Sounds like a pretty good description of the world today, right? But it’s actually a quote from the first episode of “The Newsroom,” which aired in 2012. I hear lots of folks talk about how much worse things have gotten recently, and they possibly have, but this episode reminded me this is not a new phenomenon. And it makes me wonder what to do about it. Braver An...
I couldn’t agree more with your guest commentator, Bret Conway, especially during September, National Library Card Sign-up Month. We should be encouraging the use of libraries and ensure students (and everyone) have access to books of their choosing. I taught for over 30 years; during those years I am proud to say that I have introduced students to many of the books that show up on Banned Books Lists: “The Merchant of Venice,” “The Grapes of Wrath,” “To Kill a Mockingbird,” “Animal Farm,” and on and on. During September (duri...
Six years ago, I started writing for The Hinsdalean. It was the first time I had ever written anything that wasn't for a grade. It was the first time one of my stories got published. I remember my first article was about how my older sister, Anna, was going away to college - to a school called the University of Georgia. Two years later, I joined her, leaving my comfortable life in Hinsdale to study journalism at UGA. I didn't know much about journalism, only that it was a...
It’s 6 a.m. My phone dings once. A few seconds later, a second ding. I roll over and see the familiar green and yellow squares. And so the day begins, the family Wordle group texts are activated. I smile, assessing my mom’s score. I know she played at midnight, unable to sleep. She’s mentioned once, twice — or a dozen times — that she politely waits until 7 her time, before hitting “share” to not disturb the few of us who are an hour behind, living in the central time zone. The second ding will be on the other family group...
Hunched into the crawl space, my eyes do a quick scan. A collection of unlabeled plastic bins are organized into sections, known only to me as "Halloween," "Easter," "Christmas," I see it. A weathered cardboard box that predates the colorful bins surrounding it by not just decades, but generations. Ever so gingerly I pick it up and squat-walk-shuffle my way out of the storage space. Relieved to be standing up straight again, I carefully open it. Beneath protective layers of...
There's a quote from one of my favorite TV shows, "One Tree Hill," that has stuck with me from the moment I first heard it: "Six billion people in the world. Six billion souls. And sometimes, all you need is one." I think this quote rings true always, but especially in the world we live in today - and especially during the holiday season. For what has been branded as "the most wonderful time of the year" is often anything but for those who struggle with mental illness. A...
I recently enlisted my children to help organize our basement storage area, which houses everything from Christmas decorations and suitcases to sentimental items no one has the heart to part with. After the initial protests, my kids - now 13 and 10 - exclaimed at the hidden treasures we unearthed: onesies worn home from the hospital, bedraggled stuffed cats and frogs, baby doll beds with homemade quilts and pink princess castles. Sifting through the objects, my daughter,...
I brought a book with me when I traveled this summer. I was not invested in it; in fact, I predicted I'd finish it on the plane and leave it there. It was a guilt read, meaning it had been recommended so fervently by one friend so often that I thought I'd just breeze through it to appease her. A nonfiction, self-help best-seller, it was a weird genre for fiction-loving-me. Luckily it was slim, so I could tote it around with me. And tote it I did, because I discovered it was...
I've often said that in another life, I'd be a sociologist. I'm fascinated by how people live behind their front doors. Years ago, a young me would jog in the city and look into people's apartment windows as I went by. Ultimately, it was this behavior that led me to, well, fall down. Repeatedly. I was so busy pondering the lives of the people whose windows I passed that I didn't pay attention to the cracks in the sidewalks, or the curbs, or my feet. And so down I'd go....
Summertime is concert time! Do you remember your first concert? Mine was Sly and the Family Stone. Can't say I was a big fan, but as a college freshman the invitation was hard to turn down. Since then, I have been to my share of concerts. I have enjoyed performances by Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, Sting, Cher and Barry Manilow, to name a few favorites! And for a summertime concert, it's hard to beat The Beach Boys at Ravinia. This summer, I turned it up a notch and...
When my mom passed away in 2016, her legacy included some prime Missouri farmland and a household inventory that ranged from English collectibles, coffee-table books on Great Britain and more plastic storage containers than one could use in a lifetime. Even one that stretched for 93 years. But as I blow through milestone birthdays at an impressive clip, I'm also channeling my London-born mom when it comes to assessing fashion choices. Do these ruffles look silly? Is this...
I closely eyeballed the stop sign at the intersection of Fourth and Lincoln streets. It appeared to be in good working order. "STOP" was spelled correctly, the red was the appropriate hue and all eight sides were visible. No branches, bushes, parked vehicles or other man-made shrouds blocked its view. I was perplexed. If the sign was in good working order, why were so many drivers not fully stopping? Or ignoring it altogether? I thought about calling the manufacturer to ask...
It might be an unpopular opinion, but I genuinely like snow. I'm not referring to the icy, slushy nonsense we've experienced thus far - I'm talking about that snowman-making, sled-racing, will-the-pool-parking-lot-be-usable-by-opening-day kind of snow. It's been noticeably absent this season and honestly, I'm kind of bummed. A winter without the white stuff is straight-up weird to me. I'm an East Coast kid, one who woke up at the crack of dawn and stared at the television...
I used to think that when I got older, I would have more answers - to who I am, who I want to be, and just to life in general. Well, now that I am older, I can see that sentiment isn't entirely true. When I was a kid, I always knew what I wanted to do. I loved to read and I loved to write, so it made sense that I would go to school for journalism and study to become the best writer I could be. I was always told that writing was my talent, and I knew that you're supposed to...
Among my several pet peeves is perhaps the granddaddy of them all - loud music playing everywhere, all the time, yet no one is listening. "What music?" If no one is listening to it, then is it even playing? This is kind of like the tree falling in a forest and no one being there to hear it. Does it still make a "thud?" So, if no one is listening to this music that plays everywhere, all of the time, then what is its purpose? Here's my guess - the death of silence. Remember...
Christmas is the most magical time of year - a time for family, friends, joy and many blessings. For as long as I can remember, I have spent my Christmases in Hinsdale with my family, celebrating the special meaning of the holiday season. However, this Christmas season began with something different. I got to travel to New York City with my best friend, Sydney. One thing I have wanted to do for the longest time is experience New York City at Christmastime. I have also always...
Decorating used to be a laborious process of looking through hundreds of colors, fabrics and other materials until you found just the right combination and balance. Not anymore. Now it revolves around one simple principle - gray is great. Repeat it like a mantra and you will soon believe. Gray is great. Gray is great. Gray is great. Got it? Now, all your decorating needs are solved. I have lived through the 1960s and 1970s when decorating had real exuberance (to put it...
Like many kids, I loved horses. They were my favorite thing to draw, my favorite thing to talk about and my favorite thing to collect - in My Little Pony form, of course. I would have owned 10 real ones if I had my way, but Santa always seemed to forget that item each and every year. When I finally got the chance to horseback ride for real, I jumped - first up and down and shrieking at a pitch only my dog could hear and then at the opportunity itself. Clad in pigtails and my...
When I was a child, growing up on Chicago's northwest side, there was a saying that went something like this: "Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never hurt me." At least that's how I remember it. Unfortunately, this childhood saying doesn't reflect the truth. Flash forward to today, and I'm still learning words can hurt. Deeply. Even with unintentional meaning. They open up wounds that haven't healed, regardless of who made the initial cut and who later...
