Posted on by Lisa Bernard · 2 Comments

Deep Pockets Don’t Solve Every Problem After Age 65

Staying active while aging requires specific gear, specs first among the items I tote around wherever I go. Sunglasses. Readers. Computer glasses. Specs for driving. Backup pairs for all four types. Still, I was misplacing them from time to time. And so came the plan, a reluctant reach into my deep pockets: Ready-to-wear for my eyewear everywhere. Keeping my eyeglasses on my person, at my fingertips, at all times. Can you relate? I'm happy to share my notes - and discoveries richer than any deep pockets can provide.

Posted on by Lisa Bernard · 2 Comments

Spirits in the Stacks – A Nonfiction Tale of Two Adored Apparitions at Home at Torrington Library

I'm not one to blog outside my lane, but this untold story was irresistible for its library lore, nonfiction version of Gabi Coatsworth's conjured characters and its proximity to my writing on loss and grief. Pardon the pun, but I also felt my late grandmother's presence. She's the one who taught me, "Never fear the dead; it's the living who get you every time." I winked at my grandmother's portrait and emailed Elaine requesting an interview, a visit to the floor in question and any media that evidenced the pair of ghosts in residence. She sent more than photos.

Posted on by Lisa Bernard

Positive Travels in Negative Time

Contemporary society insists we time travel to consider its questions. When will the book be published? Is this your forever home? Will the baby attend full or half-day kindergarten? I kid you not. Sometimes, I feel my life is being binged like a Netflix series. But real life doesn't move at warp speed. Such queries are quantum leap experiments, facilitated by our devices -- the opportunity cost of which is in-the-moment delight, gratitude and the chance to do the work that provides real answers and genuine progress. That is, unless we dive into negative time, as I did. Twice, to positive results.

Posted on by Lisa Bernard · 3 Comments

With an Abundance of Appreciation for My Readers, Fellow Scribes, Editors & Publishers, it’s Already Thanksgiving in My Writing Life

That subscribers to my blog read, shared and commented on my essays across numerous iterations and years in this space ... That leaders and participants in my writing groups shared submission calls and suggestions for my evolving material ... That editors made the time to review my submissions and teach and work with me to polish them for publication .... That publishers put my name to their fine reputations ... I am thankful. Let me pay it forward ... Read on.

Posted on by Lisa Bernard · 2 Comments

Soloists: It’s Autumn and I Spy Our Inner Spiders

My husband died mid-summer. By autumn, my immediate support systems were waning and the predators waxing, most concealed in costumes like Halloween trick or treaters. It was not obvious, in the social dislocation of my widowhood, who in the parade of callers were ghouls, gremlins or candy corn. Yet somehow, I "knew" spiders could be poisonous and had to be eliminated immediately. Like the merry murderesses in the musical Chicago singing the Cell Block Tango, I heard "Pop! Six! Squish!" in my head all fall. These spiders, they had it comin'. I was mistaken.

Posted on by Lisa Bernard · 2 Comments

Nature Is My Muse & Inspired My Novel’s Protagonist

Foxes, bears and porcupines. These creatures enchant me. I had no negative experiences with them as neighbors once I delved into their behaviors and boundaries. I was and felt safe, because I learned how they see me, a human in their habitat. I learned to respect their athletic abilities and survival mechanisms - their homecourt advantages. I gave this sensibility to my protagonist, a psychotherapist, who treats patients struggling with unhealthy behaviors harmful to others. She draws from nature. Her maxim: Know the nature of the self-serving beast - human or feral - and be prepared, not scared, to move forward, protected.

Posted on by Lisa Bernard · 4 Comments

Past Was Prologue and Backstories Became Forewords for an Especially Sweet Book Launch

Leemore of Baked by Angels always says, "There is a story behind every cake." My friend is right. Her delicious depiction of the covers of Grief Like Yours has a backstory of bereavement and a foreword all its own. The synopsis: Two riding buddies are braving their next chapters. I'm writing. Leemore’s baking. And through our shared faith and individual artistry, my late horse, Dolce, is forever sweet and memorialized in Grief Like Yours. Both versions – the edible and the readable - crafted with all our art and soul.

Posted on by Lisa Bernard · 2 Comments

How Do You Manage the Maze of Social Media Sans a Modern Map?

Once upon a time, in a society up close and personal, it was easy to post on a platform and peruse one with purpose and results. Each had its raison d'etre. Facebook was for family and friends, LinkedIn for our industry colleagues. Twitter became the megaphone of memos and Pinterest was the shortest distance between our needs and recommendations for products. Each of the aforementioned taught us to curate and heed posts with confidence while Instagram launched careers of our artistic Gen Ys who made friends into followers and forever fans. I'm nostalgic. Managing social media sometimes leaves me Threads-bare.

Posted on by Lisa Bernard

The Strategic Rotation of My Body Parts

Woman cycling in stationary bike

The rotation goes something like this. Biked yesterday so the knees are squealing today. Better to walk this afternoon, possibly a slow-paced jog if L-4 and L-5 are feeling okay. But only after 4:00 p.m. after lunch is fully digested, there's time to hydrate, and after the sunniest part of the day. Can't risk excessive UV rays on my aging retinas and pre-C skin discolorations - even though my eyes are shielded by Jackie O sunglasses the size of black holes and my face is wrapped in a brimmed hat that resembles Saturn and its rings. It's quite the celestial sight.

Posted on by Lisa Bernard · 4 Comments

Craft, Humanity & Artistry Continuously Flow Through Rhea Farbman’s Fingers on Both 88 and 78 Keys

Pianist's hands on Steinway piano

Aristotle hailed the human hand as "the tool of tools." For 70 years, musical artistry has flowed through Rhea Farbman's tools over the 88 keys of her piano. And now, from the 78 keys of her laptop keyboard comes her memoir. It's a literary symphony that reveals a life experienced in equal measure - the cliffs and plunges of rhapsodic love and betrayal, crime and punishment, death and deliverance - each marked by Rhea's ceaseless kneading of the keys to her survival and the voice of her late son.