family

Plank Story Natural Deodorant

I’m occasionally told I’m crunchy and I always sort of cringe. That’s not how I see myself, but then I tell a story like this:

All my siblings were in Connecticut a few weeks ago to celebrate my dad and stepmom’s 30^th wedding anniversary. We had a variety of activities planned—dinner, boat cruises, museum tours. And the weather was beautiful for outdoor activities, except for the fact it was 95-degrees with 100% humidity (perhaps slight exaggeration, but not much). With my brother and sister-in-law in front of the Derby House, Salem, MA

After picking my brother up at the airport, we met in Salem to tour the Derby House. I’d been teaching all day. It was hot and my sister-in-law asked if I used all natural deodorant. She was thinking of switching and wondered if I thought it work. “Yes,” I exclaimed exuberantly. It is moments like these where I’m actually excited to talk about my choice of deodorant that makes me realize I just may be a little bit crunchy. “Do you ever smell?” she […]

Plank Story Natural DeodorantMaggie Downie2017-12-29T20:26:26-05:00

89-Year-Old Grandma Crawls Inside Igloo

My Grandma turned 89 in February. A couple months ago we went shopping for a new pair of slippers. She balanced on one foot while untying her shoe, slid her foot out of her shoe and into the slipper. She may have held my hand through the process, but her balance was impeccable. And this is a woman who had polio as a child. Her legs are two different lengths. There was a point in her life when all her leg muscles had atrophied after spending months strapped to a wooden board, immobilized.

Ruth at 89 outside the Igloo

Still, it came as no surprise when she announced that for her 89^th birthday she wanted to see the igloo we had built, and she even wanted to go inside. You had to crawl to get in. My mom suggested we could lay down a tarp and pull her in if Ruth inside the igloo!

she couldn’t get in on her own. I’m not sure when something turns from fun game with Grandma to elder […]

89-Year-Old Grandma Crawls Inside IglooMaggie Downie2017-10-25T15:59:36-04:00

Life: The Constant Curve Ball

In my year of getting into the best shape of my life, I’ve noticed something. There is always an excuse—a birthday party, Thanksgiving, a super bowl game as to why I should have the day off from being healthy. I could come up with constant excuses. But the truth is that’s life. Life will always throw me a curve ball that will make it harder to be healthy.

Instead of taking the day off, I really need to find a way to make healthier decisions on days that are tough because those tough days are never going away. I need to learn to live with them. Since I was blessed with a large family I could probably have an excuse a week if you count birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays. Heck I celebrate my own birthday five different times each year. That’s five excuses in one month. […]

Life: The Constant Curve BallMaggie Downie2017-09-12T19:31:36-04:00