This Much I Know: Learning Out Loud

  Another Book that Resonated with Me   I have always found the profession of Gynecology and Obstetrics fascinating. When I was younger, I remember telling people I wanted 7 children. I even planned for all of their names to begin with C’s so I could say I had the Seven C’s (like the salad dressing, Kraft’s Seven Seas, LOL). Life had other plans, though. Since I married in my 30s, and had children in my mid to late 30s, I’m very happy with my decision to have just two. I’ve been seeing the same OBGYN for almost 30 years; however, he is now solely a Gynecologist. I learned this at my last visit when I casually asked if he had he delivered any babies that day. He smiled and told me he had retired from Obstetrics several years ago and now focuses on women’s health across all the stages of the reproductive journey. Back in the 1700’s, midwifery existed largely outside the emerging field of gynecology, rooted in tradition, experience, and community knowledge. Today, of course...

  Friendship Ironically, my girls’ trip to Charleston happened the weekend before I was set to discuss the adolescent stage of human development and the environment with my Purdue Global class. Needless to say, the smiles and joy from that trip lingered and spilled over into my teaching. I am beyond grateful to have such wonderful friends. Truly, where would we be without friendship? This past weekend I celebrated just that with four amazing women who I’m lucky enough to call my own. My friend Lisa and I go all the way back to middle school. From the moment we met, it was as if we were destined to be besties for life. Oh, the things we’ve shared—the milestones, the heartbreaks, the young adult books devoured, the letters exchanged (I still have them), the nights spent dancing (ALL night long), the secrets still tucked safely away. Our bond is unshakable. LYLASBAHOALM! Then there’s Stacy. I met her right before my first year at Cabrini, in the uniform shop of all places, and we’...

  Living with Rheumatoid Arthritis: The Invisible Battle I Never Expected In October 2018, I visited a rheumatologist for the first time after enduring several months of intense arthritic pain, especially in my feet. The pain had become so severe that even walking felt impossible. I was diagnosed with Spondylarthritis, but truthfully, I don’t think the doctor really knew what was going on. The symptoms hit me like a freight train, sudden, overwhelming, and terrifying.  With a family history of Crohn’s disease and arthritis on both sides, I had a feeling something more was happening. By the end of November, the pain spread to both of my hands. Blood work revealed elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (EST) and C-reactive protein (CRP), terms that meant nothing to me at the time but soon would become familiar markers of my new normal.  Then in January 2019, I received the official diagnosis: Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) involving multiple joints with a positive rheumatoid fa...

  When Being Polite Feels Like the Hardest Choice I said I wasn’t going to write about this, but here I am. I wrote it over a week ago, thinking I might just let it go, but clearly I needed to get it out. I recently ran into someone I wasn’t expecting to run into, nor did I want to, at least not this soon after I was let down by him. Life catches you off guard sometimes. Thank goodness my husband was with me to support how I handled it. I had mixed emotions when I walked away. I was proud I remained composed, but seeing him brought up some tucked-away anger.  Later, when I was describing what happened to a good friend, she shared with me something that someone else had recently told her, “Don’t let someone live rent-free in your head.” Her words stuck. Even though I remained poised in the moment and chose to be polite, the truth is, I carried the weight of that anger long after the brief interaction. I’m glad he didn’t get a reaction from me, but he certainly took up space in...

  “It was in those days I began to go hungry.”  — Knut Hamsun There are two things you should know about me.  I’m an introvert when it comes to politics (and, let’s be honest, most other things too), and I absolutely love books. I bring these two parts of myself up because I recently finished reading a novel that lives in a complicated space— not because of the story itself, but because of who wrote it. The book is Hunger by Knut Hamsun. It’s not politically charged in the content, but it’s undeniably shadowed by the author’s later sympathy for Nazi Germany during the Holocaust. Still, I can’t stop thinking about it.  I am usually drawn to psychological thrillers and emotionally driven literary fiction, but every now and then, I like to challenge myself to pick up something outside of my comfort zone. That’s how Hunger landed in my hands. I first overheard the title while browsing at Manchester by the Book, a used bookstore near my son’s college in Beverly, Massach...

 If you are reading this, WELCOME! And THANK YOU for being here. This Much I Know: Learning Out Loud is my corner of the internet to reflect, explore, and share what life continues to teach me. After decades of working in healthcare, particularly in senior living, and now teaching future healthcare leaders, I've realized that we're never really done learning. Every conversation, every challenge, and every quiet moment can offer a lesson—if we're open to it.  And if I'm honest—sometimes I'm not. Just this morning, one of my favorite people gently reminded me of that. I was sharing an idea about caregiver training, and she said, "You should add that to your resume." I snapped back—"I'm not trying to improve my resume at this time in my life."  She paused, smiled (I could see that over the phone), and said, "Honey, I meant your personal resume." 😊 That moment stuck with me all day.  Because that's what this space is about: catchin...