Public Mourning — I’m in a crowd around the corner from Buckingham Palace. In a few minutes, Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin will pass by, going to Westminster Abbey. None of us will see it. Guards and barricades block our way onto the already packed Mall. Still, no one is moving, or complaining. People…

The Beauty Myth — I’m chatting with a friend about our beautiful daughters. I’m not exaggerating when I say they’re beautiful. All three are gorgeous, both inside and out. But the strange thing is that while my daughter thinks she’s pretty, my friend’s daughters don’t. My friend fears it’s her fault because she didn’t…

Parenting Tips — Quick quiz: It’s dinner and your child is slumped in his chair, elbows on the table, shoveling food in his mouth. Seeing the exasperated look on your face, he takes his elbows off the table. You can: a. Tell him to sit up straight and take smaller bites. b. Ignore…

Letting go — I just went to my last mommy/baby class, the kind where you sit in a circle, kid on lap, singing songs and clapping. My daughter is too big. Some readers may remember me whining about these very same classes a year ago. I didn’t think preschool classes should be run…

Post mortem bureaucracy — Dear AT&T, Like I mentioned a while back, my father has passed. He died just before Christmas 2019. Three weeks later, I gave you a call. I explained that my dad set up an AT&T account for my apartment in Florida because I lived abroad. He paid the bills with…

Diminishing returns — If you’re a writer under 30, I suspect you’ll find this surprising: Freelance writing used to be lucrative. Twenty years ago, after leaving full-time reporting, I made a decent living writing stories for my old newspaper and other publications. I got paid roughly a buck to two bucks a word…

A death in the Caucasus — You hit your fifties and people start dying. Parents, parents of friends, friends. Just last week, a friend committed suicide. He’d been seen walking his dog a few hours earlier. I can’t stop thinking about him. He was in his forties, had a wife and two kids, a good job…

Platinum Jubilee — On March 6, 2018 in a town hall in Morden, England, I stood beside my husband and daughter and swore by Almighty God that I would be “faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, Her Heirs and Successors according to law.” …

You Can’t Go Back — I’m at a reporter hangout waiting for a friend. It feels like years since I’ve been in a place like this. I’m so happy. If I weren’t here, I’d be home cooking or cleaning or sitting cross-legged on a floor stacking rainbow rings. The bar is dark and candlelit. Around…