Marriage and relationships

I’m Getting Too Old For This, But It’s Worth it

by Bill Brenner June 3, 2011 Love

Erin and I drove 90 minutes north yesterday to see The Avett Brothers perform in Portland, Maine. By the end of the night, we realized we just don’t have the concert-going energy we had in our early 20s. Mood music: The band didn’t begin until 9, and we were surrounded by people in their 20s and early 30s. The smell of pot hung in the air, giving us headaches. It used to be the smell…  [Read More]

The Killer — And Opportunity — In Every Marriage

by Bill Brenner June 1, 2011 Faith

Several divorces in our circle of family and friends has made Erin and I a little uneasy in recent months. Mood music: There are the usual reasons for this: Complications develop when you’re close to both people in the marriage that’s breaking up. But something else happens: You start to worry if your marriage is next. We’ve been together for nearly 18 years and probably love each other more today than we did the day we…  [Read More]

Back Story Of THE OCD DIARIES

by Bill Brenner May 14, 2011 Addiction

Since I’ve been adding new readers along the way, I always get questions about why I started this thing. I recently expanded the “about” section, and that’s a good starting point. But more of a back story is in order. Mood music: Before I started THE OCD DIARIES in December 2009 with a post about depression hitting me during the holidays, I had always toyed with the idea of doing this. The reason for wanting…  [Read More]

Facebook Dysfunction: A Family Affair

by Bill Brenner May 11, 2011 Adventures in writing

Let’s face it: We all have connections on Facebook that we constantly consider defriending because they say and do irritating things. I have no doubt there are people out there who feel that way about me. Mood music: I have no problem with people un-friending me. Not anymore, anyway. At one point, I had to admit that my obsessive-compulsive demons were latching onto the Facebook friend count, and that each loss of a connection felt…  [Read More]

Mothers

by Bill Brenner May 8, 2011 Family

Here’s a celebration of the moms in my life — the ones I can’t live without and the ones I don’t talk to anymore. Mood music: <object width=”640″ height=”510″><param name=”movie” value=”http://www.youtube.com/v/eKLAt3XO03s?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US&amp;rel=0″></param><param name=”allowFullScreen” value=”true”></param><param name=”allowscriptaccess” value=”always”></param>[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKLAt3XO03s&fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0]</object> There’s my mother. We don’t talk these days ( I covered the reasons in a post last year) but I want to thank her for doing her best with the tools she had at the time. Having kids like us wasn’t…  [Read More]

Back Where I Belong

by Bill Brenner April 7, 2011 Children's issues

I’m sitting at the airport in Ft. Myers, Fla. waiting to board a plane that’ll take me home. I like to go on these trips. But it’s always better to go home. MOOD MUSIC: “DRIFTAWAY” BY MOTLEY CRUE (the Corabi album) Ever since I shook myself free of the fear and anxiety that came with my earlier form of OCD, I’ve had a craving for these journeys, perhaps for the simple reason that I can…  [Read More]

How I Can Be Happy Despite Myself

by Bill Brenner March 29, 2011 Addiction

I see a lot of moody people out there on Facebook and Twitter these days. Though I try not to put random complaints on my wall, my darker moods often come across in this blog. But in the big picture, I’ve found ways to be generally happy despite myself. Mood music: Allow me to share. But first, a couple acknowledgements: 1.) I stole this post’s title from somewhere. 2.) I readily admit that despite what…  [Read More]

Change Is Pain, But Not Impossible

by Bill Brenner March 28, 2011 Addiction

Last night’s 12-Step meeting reminded me of just how hard real change is. I used to measure change by who won the next election. I’ve realized that the only real change that matters is within myself. Naturally, it’s the hardest, most brutal kind of change to achieve. Mood music: [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqkxDgCIsOw&fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0] Last night’s AA Big Book reading focused on steps 8, 9 and 10: 8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and…  [Read More]

Erin

by Bill Brenner March 19, 2011 Family

Erin’s been on a business trip to Arizona for nearly a week and I miss her terribly. She’s due home today, and I can’t wait to see her. Mood music (This was the song we danced to at our wedding): [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHBvksGdhxA&fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0] I’ve written a lot about her in this blog. The best place to catch up on that is a compilation post I did a few months ago called “How Marriage Saved Me.” To…  [Read More]

You of All People …

by Bill Brenner March 12, 2011 Children's issues

Recent weeks have pounded home the point that I’m seriously lacking in patience. With Duncan’s issues. With Erin’s workload. And more. Mood music: [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjto02iDNZA&fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0] Four words repeatedly ring in my head: “You of all people.” I of all people should be patient with Duncan. I was a problem child on a much deeper, darker magnitude than him. He’s a good boy. I should be a lot calmer when he has his meltdowns and gets…  [Read More]

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