Category Archives: grief

Between the Sounds

Posted on November 23, 2025 by daeja's view

This unexpectedly came across my social media feed yesterday. These simple words hold such personal impact that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it – especially the last number of lines. They encompass a different kind of loss … Continue reading →

Posted in advocacy, Aging, Coping, Deafness, disability, grief, Hearing Impaired, Perspective, senior musings, Uncategorized | Tagged a different kind of loss, Deafness, explaining hearing loss to others, filling in the blanks, grief, hard of hearing, hearing exhaustion, hearing loss, invisibly disability, left out, missed connections, missing sounds, navigating a hearing world, social disconnections, struggling to hear | Leave a comment

Fighting Windmills

Posted on February 4, 2025 by daeja's view

Early on I had a gut feeling where this would be heading and how it would most likely end up, but decided to hold out in the (futile?) hope that there might be some righteousness in all of it. Once … Continue reading →

Posted in advocacy, Aging, Are you kidding me?, Coping, Deafness, disability, disability accommodations, grief, Hearing Impaired, Perspective, Rant, Regrets, senior musings, Uncategorized, Vent | Tagged Anthony Bourdain, bad closed captioning, business, CC out of sync, closed caption, closed captioning, CNN, CNN accessibility discrimination, CNN documentary series, CNN out of sync, CNN Sucks, corporate disrespect, deaf discrimination, discrimination, FCC Disability Rights Office, hard of hearing, hearing discrimination, hearing loss, Jake Tepper, left out, Linda Ronstadt, Martha Stewart, news, Stanley Tucci, The New York Times, Tom Hanks | Leave a comment

What’s On Your Nightstand?

Posted on January 23, 2025 by daeja's view

It has been too easy to hunker down, gazing at winter skies, finding excuses to ride out the coldest moments indoors (unless you are one of those winter outdoor types – me, not very much). Despite a predisposition to remain … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Earworm of the day, Flashback, Food, Friends, grief, nature, Perspective, Seasons, senior musings, Uncategorized, Weather, Winter | Tagged a lot of books, books, books on my night table, cozy, distractions, e-readers, friends passing, papillon, reading, reading more than one book at the same time, snowy days, the nightbird, too cold, unfinished, unfinished books, winter | Leave a comment

Unspoken Things

Posted on July 7, 2024 by daeja's view

Back when we were teenagers, my dad gifted my sister Charlotte and I each a silver and turquoise bracelet. I want to say he got them in Arizona, but that part of the memory is sort of hazy, and actually … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, grief, kids, Perspective, Regrets, senior musings, treasures, Uncategorized | Tagged attachments, childhood memories, family heirlooms, generations, gift from my father, Gifts, gifts of love, golden years, heirloom, object attachment, seniors, sentimental, sentimental value, Siblings, silver bracelets, sister bracelets, Sisters, turquoise bracelets, unspoken bond | Leave a comment

Funny What the Weather Will Do

Posted on January 27, 2024 by daeja's view

January is bouncing all over the place in both weather and emotions these days. Views From the Urban Porch have been varied and unpredictable. One day I’m staring at an atmosphere so vibrantly blue that it conjures up tropical skies … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Cooking, Coping, Dogs, Earworm of the day, Flashback, Food, Friends, grief, nature, Perspective, Photography, Seasons, senior musings, The Urban Porch, The Urban Porch ™, Uncategorized, Views From he Urban Porch ™, Weather, Weird, Winter | Tagged Changes, changing weather, diversions, earworm, grief, ice, January, january deaths, mood, most deaths in january, passages, personal history, retail therapy, sky, sky changes, snow, snowmelt, weather changes, youth | Leave a comment

Book of Joys

Posted on December 29, 2023 by daeja's view

And so we slowly move past the holidays and begin wrapping up another year. There will be a temporary reprieve from the Labels of Guilt – that onslaught of personalized address labels from good environmental causes, children’s hospitals and international … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Flashback, grief, Holidays, Perspective, senior musings, treasures, treasures, Winter | Tagged book of joy, books, darkness and light, diaries, end of the year, grief and joy, happiness, holiday gifts, journaling, Joy, labels of guilt, Memories, old diaries, the guilt factor, The Holidays, the written word, too many labels, venting, writing, writing journals | Leave a comment

The Weight of April

Posted on April 22, 2023 by daeja's view

There are certain days of the year where for some reason (or no reason), a traumatic or dramatic event has historically and repeatedly happened to either me or someone in my family – both terrible and wonderful. Although I’m not … Continue reading →

Posted in Coping, grief, Holidays, nature, Perspective, Spring, Uncategorized | Tagged abandonment, April, death of a loved one, losing a mother, loss and gain, love and loss, new joys, rescue dog, stress manifested, submerged feelings, the holiday curse, therapeutic gardening, yin/yang | Leave a comment

What Tears Are These?

Posted on February 19, 2023 by daeja's view

Tears, idle tears, I know not what they mean,Tears from the depth of some divine despairRise in the heart, and gather to the eyes – Alfred Lord Tennyson When is the last time you cried? And why? Recently – with … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Animal Stories, Dogs, grief, Perspective | Tagged dog rescue sites, old dog adoption, senior dog, special needs dog, tears, transferred grief | 3 Comments

The Wallet

Posted on November 5, 2022 by daeja's view

It was more years ago than I can exactly recall when my mother asked me what I wanted for my birthday and I told her I wanted a good wallet. I was very specific about what kind of wallet I … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Autumn, Coping, Flashback, grief, Perspective, Regrets, treasures, Uncategorized | Tagged attachment to things, attachments, gift from my mother, letting go, loss, mother love, symbols of love, thrift shop | Leave a comment

The Robe

Posted on October 9, 2022 by daeja's view

At the moment I am trying to wade through some difficult feelings brought on by some recently revisited trauma. It’s been one of those situations where there is a strange, anxious, physical vibration in your very core. While this has … Continue reading →

Posted in Coping, grief, Perspective, Regrets, Uncategorized | Tagged death, grief, loss, Memories, olfactory responses, possessions, sibling rivalry, trauma | 2 Comments

Passing of the Buck

Posted on October 5, 2020 by daeja's view

I went out to investigate why a police car was parked in front of my driveway on this sunny Saturday afternoon, officers standing there pointing towards the backyard. Years ago there had been a foot chase culminating in a suspect … Continue reading →

Posted in Animal Stories, Are you kidding me?, Coping, grief, Uncategorized, Wildlife | Tagged Deer, EHD, Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease, municipal responsibility, Red tape, sick deer, sick wildlife, who is responsible | 4 Comments

Linden

Posted on May 23, 2020 by daeja's view

This is a rather longish post concerning the frustration of municipal red tape and the loss of a friend, of sorts. It is one of those “shaking my head” type posts. It is also about quality of life, trying to … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Are you kidding me?, grief, Perspective, Rant, Regrets, Spring, Uncategorized, Vent | Tagged arbor, city ordinances, Linden tree, losing a tree | 4 Comments

Surfing the Pandemic

Posted on April 26, 2020 by daeja's view

I’ve had no inclination to write for such a long time, even before the pandemic occurred. Now more than ever it has been difficult trying to align cohesive thoughts and feelings and translate them into words. I hadn’t even bothered … Continue reading →

Posted in Are you kidding me?, Coping, grief, Perspective, Uncategorized, Weird | Tagged coping during COVID-19, Getting by in the time of COVID-19, observations, Pandemic, strange times, weird times | 4 Comments

Little Bird

Posted on July 18, 2019 by daeja's view

Following a quick but torrential downpour and some gusty winds, the S.O. discovered a fledgling robin scooting around between the dying iris foliage in our front yard. The linden tree immediately nearby is the most likely place it came from, … Continue reading →

Posted in Animal Stories, Birds, Coping, Daeja's Garden, grief, Regrets, Uncategorized, Wildlife | Tagged death, fledglings, grief by proxy, saving a bird, the right decision? | 2 Comments

Ashes

Posted on April 10, 2019 by daeja's view

Left holding the bag again Or box, as it so happens A container of dust That is not really him * Okay it’s true the person is gone Their spirit and essence Does not reside in this unworthy cube of … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Coping, Friends, grief, Perspective, Uncategorized, Vent | Tagged choices, death, loss, Memories, remains | 1 Comment

Rage

Posted on September 19, 2018 by daeja's view

Okay, it was clearly my fault. Today started out poorly, following a week without one solid night’s sleep. Perhaps it was because I stayed up too late watching a forgettable movie with loathsome characters and a predictable outcome, but last … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Coping, grief, Perspective, Rant, Shopping, Uncategorized, Vent | Tagged aging, angry people, anxiety, death, depression, insomnia, it's my fault, losing a friend, loss, parking lot altercations, road rage, senior demographics | 1 Comment

Butterfly Sheets

Posted on August 6, 2018 by daeja's view

On the day I was changing the bed linens, I came across a set of butterfly pattern sheets that had migrated to the back of the shelf in the closet. The pillow cases were long gone and the elastic on … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Coping, Friends, grief, Perspective, Regrets, Uncategorized | Tagged babies, be here now, birth, death, Friends, grief, holding on, letting go, life, Memories, mom | 2 Comments

Found and Lost

Posted on September 25, 2017 by daeja's view

During the gawky, dark, painfully insecure pre and early-adolescent summers of my youth, I attended what was advertised as an “inter-faith, inter-racial” summer camp out in what was once the wilds of Connecticut, before it became greatly suburbanized. From what … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Autumn, Friends, grief, Perspective, Uncategorized | Tagged Childhood, i remember you, missed opportunities, old friends, summer camp, the past comes back | 2 Comments

The Littlest of Things

Posted on January 25, 2017 by daeja's view

It has been many months since I have attempted a blog post – essentially rendered speechless and saddened by what is going on in our country and in the world. In this time of tremendous stress, uncertainty, conflict, fear, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Coping, grief, Perspective, Uncategorized | Tagged drain catcher, government, government metaphors, losing something precious, observations, plumbing woes, reflections, small satisfactions, too much hair | 4 Comments

Blessings Amid the Depression

Posted on August 10, 2016 by daeja's view

Breakfast this morning consisted of a handful of foraged chanterelle mushrooms sautéed in butter and garlic, then scrambled into two fresh eggs from a neighbor’s chickens and sprinkled with ground Himalayan pink salt and fresh peppercorn. The mushroom eggs were … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Coping, grief, Hearing Impaired, Perspective, Rant, Uncategorized, Vent | Tagged appreciation, blessings, depressed, depression, dysthymia, feeling blue, gratefulness, loss, moods, people judging depression | 4 Comments

The Telekinesis of Grief

Posted on August 17, 2015 by daeja's view

This is an odd thing that I have only shared with a very small handful of people because it is so weird. I have often wondered if anyone else has had the same experiences, and after giving it some serious … Continue reading →

Posted in Are you kidding me?, Coping, Deafness, grief | Tagged electrical charge, gaining a sense, grief, hearing loss, loss, loss of sense | 12 Comments

The Saluki in the Floor

Posted on January 30, 2012 by daeja's view

The phone call from the Middle East at six in the morning came as sort of a surprise. “Your puppy was just born, come and get her” prefaced the details of an invitation to leave the United States and reunite … Continue reading →

Posted in Animal Stories, Dogs, Friends, grief, Memories, Perspective, Regrets, Uncategorized, Winter | Tagged companions, Dog story, dogs, gazelle hound, Golan Heights, loss of pet, Persian Greyhound, Saluki, Sight hound | 30 Comments