dating

Day four in Costa Rica was a very lonely day. Had some bathroom issues throughout the morning that thankfully passed. Then chose the hottest part of the day to walk to town for groceries. Lugging groceries on your back in the hot 90-degree sun is no bueno. By 3:00, I felt physically and mentally depleted. […]

I arrived yesterday afternoon following a 12-hour travel day on top of a sleepless night. The taxi pulled up in front of a small condo complex on a dirt road, sketchy. I was given two codes, the first to open one of the three lock boxes hanging on the wrought iron gate to get into

I slide my computer backpack onto the long, oak table in the North Kingstown Free Library. The weather outside mirrors my innerscape, gray and lackluster. Since leaving my home in October I’ve adjusted my morning routine to afford my host(s) and me some personal space. I get up and out of whichever home I happen

The host, Kim Fuller, reads a short bio before I take the stage: Patty Mancini is first and foremost a devoted mother of two and grandmother of 4.  She is a lover of culture and art, a world traveler and lifelong learner.  Patty has a BA in Education and is a certified yoga teacher and

My son, uncle and I met on my parent’s farm on Friday, October 26, 2023, at 11:00 am.  We drove the gorgeous mountain route down through Shenandoah Valley, her hills dotted with harvest colors.  We hit very little traffic, had a boatload of laughs, and broke up the time listening to True Crime podcasts.  We

We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing. G.B. Shaw As a child, we played outside for hours on end. We made forts in the woods, played all kinds of tag, and thought up crazy things to do like get up under a large cardboard box and walk

10 Days with Steinbeck Throughout the summer, I scheduled several coffee dates with old and new friends, sharing my hopes and dreams for my first year of retirement. You know… the plan to rent my home, travel for at least three months, and live with family in the space between. Each person I met with

We all want the same thing. Recently, I saw an advertisement on Instagram for a ring to be worn on the hand signifying you are single and ready to mingle: light green for straight, light purple for gay. They were touted as the newest social experiment. It’s a great idea, right!   Don’t we all

Do you remember this game?  You pull out one of the many pixie sticks from the crisscrossed tangle inside a clear cylinder and hope a marble doesn’t fall through to the bottom?  Do you remember the feeling of dread at the heavy kerplunk! Ha ha, over the summer I’ve lost a few marbles!  My retirement

My heart hurts and this is fantastic news!  I’ve been asking for Divine intervention, begging my angels and guides to help me remove the padlocks that have bound my heart for so long. I grew up thinking that I was always supposed to be happy and make others happy in the process.  Co-dependent is a