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I love doing one kind act for a stranger each day. I have done this for as long as I can remember. It was quite a challenge during the COVID-19 pandemic, though, since I didn’t often encounter strangers in my living room. These small acts of kindness usually take…

The 25-watt red bulb in the bedside table lamp gives the room an eerie glow. I chuckle as I remember my husband, Eric, and I giggling when we bought that novelty cherry bulb 15 years ago. At times, we joked it was our “love lamp.” Now, we visit the red-light…

I never thought I’d be interested in a support group for Parkinson’s caregivers. When my husband, Arman, was diagnosed, we were both in our late 30s, and I certainly didn’t think I could relate to anyone caring for someone in my parent’s generation. I was also so busy…

I’ve been thinking about food a lot lately. This makes sense because I worked as a chef, a farmers market manager, a food columnist, and a community food adviser for most of my adult life. Food was my job, my entertainment, and my passion. Then my Parkinson’s came along…

Living with Parkinson’s disease is an intricate dance of challenges. For me, pain has been a persistent partner on this journey. For years, my coping strategy was to try to push the pain out of my mind, summoning internal strength to accept it as an enigmatic facet of…

I was in line behind a young mother at the grocery store last week. She was probably in her early 40s and had three beautiful children in tow. The line moved slowly, so I was stuck listening to her lengthy cellphone conversation. She was loudly discussing her problems and focusing…

When my parents moved into their current house about 10 years ago, one thing they quickly learned about the property was that the previous owner had Parkinson’s disease. From what they understood, the man took his last breaths in the house, living out the end of his days…

Caring for my father, who is battling Parkinson’s disease, has been an emotional journey defined by the unwavering presence of love. In the face of this debilitating condition, every caregiving moment has become a testament to the profound impact of compassion and connection even as the symptoms persist.

One of my most vivid parenting memories involves my oldest daughter, Alexa, who’s now 27. We lived in Boston then, and I had enrolled her in a preschool program for 3-year-olds. She would be at school twice weekly from 10 a.m. until noon, which worked perfectly with her strict…

When I was in college, I worked as a waitress. One of the things I found remarkable was that I could go to work grumpy and leave happy. Was it because my co-workers were so fun? (They were.) Was it because the food was good? (It was.) Was it the…