Susan Mary Malone

Friendship is more than clicking on a “like.”  You know that, of course.  We all do.  But in this age of social media, sometimes the lines sure get blurred. I love keeping up with my friends on Facebook and Twitter.  Laughing—you can tell what demographic I’m in!  But those two fit with me 🙂  Don’t you […]

Okay, so honestly it doesn’t even need to be grape stomping, although that’s a ton of fun.  It can be grape picking, pressing, de-stemming, racking.  And of course, tasting.  The exact activity makes no difference to me—I just long to be involved in the fruit of the vine once more! And not just because I […]

I sure know I can.  I’m fairly good at it, actually. Not the World Champion I once was, but I can still have my moments! You know those times. And I’m not talking about when events are going badly in any number of ways. But rather, when you’re in the midst of an endeavor you […]

If you’re in a bad mood, that title just might have made you gnash your teeth. “A nice day?” you might say.  “Let me tell you about my day, and you can see how nice it is!  So much for this positive hooey!” Yep, we’ve all had that feeling.  A lot of times when I […]

I know you have troubles.  I hear them almost daily, and see them in the lives of my friends.  We all do, no? Sometimes they’re the life-and-death kind of issues, and finding how to smile through those can be tough.  Many times our problems are mundane—the mortgage, job, kids with school concerns (and if you […]

Who am I? Oh, dear Lord.  I have no idea! Although I must say, I’m in a better place than I was a couple of months ago. Then, I’d just gotten to work after 3 days off.  Well, 3 days off from actual vocational work.  Which meant no writing, blogging, posting, business email, or editing.  […]

We pretty much all know that little beast. Perfectionism comes in so many convoluted colors, and wears the oddest array of masks.  And you don’t get too far along in this life before recognizing the negative effects that pursuing it brings. Got that t-shirt, no? 12-Step Programs are great at pointing this out J And […]

Okay, I’m having a rant.  A big fat adolescent-but-real rant.  I didn’t think I was angry about this situation.  Thought I was just in shock, denial, bargaining, depression.  But hadn’t gotten to anger.  I’m not mad yet. Ha!  Funny thing about emotions, they’re there whether you know or admit to them at all.  And they […]

Isn’t that just a continuous argument?  And it seems as though everyone falls on one side or another.  As in, no middle ground appears. Which makes sense, really.  When you ask the question in that manner, you kinda have to answer one way or another.  Sorta like the old, “How many times did you beat […]

Because you know what?  I don’t know about you, but I sure need one.  Which is why it’s on my mind this morning.  Sometimes our lives get so hectic we meet ourselves coming and going, as my mother used to say. This is one of those days! When I look at my world and think: […]

Many of us were so adventurous in youth.  That’s the time you’re supposed to be, no?  That’s when you set sail for distant shores, your sights on the horizon, the wind in your sails, standing on the bow, yelling, “I’m king of the world!” which many attribute to the movie Titanic but was famously said […]

We all hate to abdicate control.  Encoded into the DNA that makes us human is the desire to keep trying, to make something happen, to change the facts of whatever life situation we’re in.  Whether it’s leaving a job, ending a relationship, giving up on a dream, losing a loved one, as the emotional stakes […]