On Monday, August 18, Sharon Elrod Wallace turns 80. I’ve written tributes and reminiscences before, so to commemorate this milestone, I’d like to share my special birthday wishes. (By posting it to New South Essays I know you’ll see it because you are usually the first person to read my weekly posts each Saturday.) Mom, … Continue reading 80th birthday wishes
If laughter is the best medicine, I may have a drug problem. In fact, it’s the only medicine I’ll take on the regular. As I age, I find humor to be the most reliable way to lift my mood and generally feel better. At least 226 of you who posted on my Facebook timeline already … Continue reading A Dusty Slay birthday
You can’t tell it by the forecast, but summer is over. Kindergarten through 12th grade students in my county return to the classroom August 4. Today, I move our middle son, Harris, into a new apartment on campus for his junior year at Mercer University. Like it or not, it’s back to school season, and … Continue reading Summer’s over
Remember when your cousins were your playmates, always close at hand or at least only a short drive away? In the New South, families are scattered across the country and even the world. It’s more likely you have cousins you have never met than cousins you see on the regular. I never lived in the … Continue reading Cousins
If you spend any time at all around our middle son, Harris, you will quickly discover his methodical nature. He’s also a cinephile. He enjoys going down rabbit holes with specific genres, directors and series. Harris consumed the films of Quentin Tarantino and Denis Villeneuve as well as the Star Warses, Marvels, Godfathers, Harry Potters, … Continue reading A Wes Anderson summer film festival
My Darling Beloved forbids me from ascending a ladder. Stepstools are borderline. Climbing on anything not built with the intention of helping you reach high places is an absolute no-no. She would much rather pay someone to go on the roof and clean the gutters than have me attempt such a life-threatening maneuver. I have … Continue reading Free falling
Security codes aren’t new, but I’ve had my fill of them in recent weeks. Their prevalence in the workplace has grown exponentially in the past few decades, a fact I felt acutely during my recent job transition. Coming up with new passwords for everything from logging onto my computer to setting up my medical insurance … Continue reading Unlocking the vacation code
Among my many sayings our boys have begun to catalog is this simple proverb: “The anticipation of a thing is often better than the thing itself.” I know, deep, right? I did not originate this proverb nor was I the first to discover the psychological condition from whence it emerges. But for many years, I … Continue reading Vacation anticipation
Theoretically, summer affords time to read. We have been programmed since childhood to make time to read during the summer to keep our minds sharp and to give our caregivers a moment’s peace. Publishers would certainly have us stock up for the summer, preying on our romantic notions of sitting waterside under an umbrella with … Continue reading My summer reading list
How does Dad really want to spend Father’s Day? Advertising and algorithms driving our social media feeds would have us believe dads want to spend the day fishing, camping, watching baseball or playing golf. I’m sure there are some dads who do want to do those things. My ideal Father’s Day looks more like this: … Continue reading An ideal Father’s Day
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