Elin Stebbins Waldal

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Backseat Memories

Apr 10, 2016 By elinwaldal 26 Comments

One of my earliest childhood memories finds me nestled in the back of a wood-paneled station wagon with my brothers and sister, crocheted afghans pulled to our necks, eyes fixed on the ceiling of the car, and little padding for our backs. Above us, centered in the beam cast from streetlights and traveling cars, our hand-shadow puppets danced across a stage until the […]

Filed Under: Childhood Memories Tagged With: memories, Road Trips, travel

Make a Splash

Jan 10, 2016 By elinwaldal 29 Comments

The alarm sounds, the mind wakes up, and unless we are on vacation, our to-do list unfurls itself in our head. We roll out of bed and think, what do I have to do today? The unfurled list follows us to the bathroom. Joins us in the shower and then rides shotgun as we make our way through […]

Filed Under: Life Lessons Tagged With: Death, Life, Living, To-do list

Empty Bowls

Nov 8, 2015 By elinwaldal 3 Comments

Too old to climb stairs, mornings begin with a welcome sigh of relief from our dog, Chinook; she sleeps at the base of them on her bed, and although I pretend her eager tail wag is a euphoric response to my arrival downstairs, the truth is, she is all about her empty bowls. The first order […]

Filed Under: Living Tagged With: Dogs, Love

Fear is a four letter word

Sep 28, 2015 By elinwaldal 2 Comments

Last October I faced my decades-old fear of the ocean by simply getting wet. You know, the up to your knees kind of wet. I had reached a point in my life where I realized that only I could redefine what getting older meant to me and I was determined not to lead a life […]

Filed Under: All things Midlife Tagged With: Facing Fear, Midlife, Ocean

Dear 16 Year Old Me

May 14, 2015 By elinwaldal 13 Comments

Dear 16-Year-Old Me, Just you wait. Oh, how I cringe when I hear those three words. I cringe because what is inferred is this: you don’t have a clue, you haven’t seen anything yet because the life you have led thus far doesn’t measure up to what someone else has experienced. Truth is, I don’t […]

Filed Under: Inspiration Tagged With: Dear 16 Year Old Me, Dear Daughter, Dear Son, Parenting, Teenagers

Pictures of You, Pictures of Me

Mar 13, 2015 By elinwaldal 22 Comments

The Kodak paper envelope with its signature yellow color is as familiar as my reflection once was. And I feel my heart sink just a little when I realize there is not one picture of me in the 36 images from the developed role. It was 17 years ago. Other than I was the one […]

Filed Under: Living, Memories Tagged With: Aging, Motherhood, pictures, Time

The Act of Noticing

Jan 16, 2015 By elinwaldal 20 Comments

For years I had been in the habit of carrying a notebook, a catch-all where I collected bits and pieces of things that interested me — quotes, observations, facts — all notations that begged me to return to them. Then I read The Memoir Project, A Thoroughly Non-Standardized Text for Writing & Life, written by Marion Roach […]

Filed Under: On being a parent Tagged With: life observed, Love, mother and son, The Act of Noticing, Writing

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