Day 162: One last self-help book is all I need, and other wistful modern myths.

Published on: June 11, 2018 by Missy O'Brien 2 Comments

I need so much help. For years, I refused to believe that. I considered myself a complete and tidy package – the warts, the beauty marks, the gifts and the glaring lacks all tied up together in an inviolate Naval Academy knot. How can I be expected to do math? It simply isn’t in my […]

Day 160: God buzzed in my ear, or maybe it was just a mosquito.

Published on: June 9, 2018June 10, 2018 by Missy O'Brien 6 Comments

I’m trying my damnedest to think peaceful thoughts and find the zen of healing, reclining there at the community acupuncture place. I’m needled by the lack of privacy and by the sharp pricks of disapproval I feel for my fellow patients, who answer the practitioner’s hushed quiet queries in boisterous bowling-alley tones. Should it surprise […]

Badges and Bastards

Published on: February 9, 2014February 9, 2014 by Missy O'Brien 17 Comments

I’d forgotten about the white gloves. Back in the early 1970’s, we Junior Girl Scouts did indeed wear them to complete our uniforms, with our official Girl Scout ankle socks and beanies. It wasn’t until you became a Cadet that you got to wear hose and heels and a smart beret, along about the time […]

Sound and Fury and Exploding Cow Farts

Published on: January 31, 2014January 31, 2014 by Missy O'Brien 3 Comments

The kid is pedaling slowly down the center of my lane on a busy street that bisects our vibrant downtown district. It is rush hour, in gloomy winter twilight. He is wearing dark hipster colors. He is not wearing a helmet. The bike has no lights. A dog trots beside him on a leash that’s […]

Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails

Published on: January 26, 2014January 26, 2014 by Missy O'Brien 7 Comments

“I’m an EMT,” says the large loud brusque woman, elbowing her way in front of me at the grocery store. We are standing in the self-check-out line. “I’m in a hurry. I’m going first.” She doesn’t even look at me as she cuts me off. She is not in uniform. She is not taking some […]