On a chilly Monday in New York City, legendary dancer and choreographer Jacques d’Amboise and I meet in his cramped, book-strewn office at the National Dance Institute (NDI). We go back a long way. In the early ’70s, when the dance boom made household … Continue reading
Michael Thomas has a radical idea that loneliness needs to be normalized. Thomas, a lecturer in social work at Brunel University London, says it should be accepted that everyone struggles “and it’s normal to move in and out of loneliness over your life… Continue reading
“I know someone I think you should meet,” my friend Kathleen blurted out almost as soon as I answered the phone. “Her name is Connie and she photographs nudes under water.” That caught my attention. “I just have a feeling,” Kathleen continued. “Here’s … Continue reading
When my husband, Dale, passed away at age 57 from a sudden, massive heart attack two days before Thanksgiving in 2018, the last thing on my mind was the finances. This quickly changed, however, when I realized that as a relatively young widow of 54, I … Continue reading
Staying in touch with the people you love can be challenging if they’re far away. Anytime you are separated from a child, grandchild, sister or close friend, maintaining closeness can be hard, no matter how often you text, call, or video chat. Never fe… Continue reading
Q: What do a used breast pump, a gunky hand blender and a bottle of wine have in common? A: They were all regifted to people I know. And yes, you read those items correctly. Chances are, you’ve been the recipient of, or a giver of, a regift. According … Continue reading
You could say that an obituary is the definitive “origin story.” Short or long, it’s a commemorative piece of writing that offers a story of a life from beginning to end. For Mo Rocca, it’s the details, which he says can be “either mundane or prophetic… Continue reading
For many years, Erin Loughran lived independently: she owned a home and car, worked as an adult English language learner instructor, even dabbled in online dating. She now lives with a disability. Three years ago, Loughran suffered a bleed in her bra… Continue reading
Editor’s Note: Larry Carlat, Next Avenue’s first Managing Editor, wrote a story for Esquire in 1998 called “You Are Me,” about adopting his son Robbie. Unfortunately, there was a tragic end to it. Carlat’s son took his own life nine months ago. He was… Continue reading
It’s 6:30 a.m., and I have just left my “holy corner,” where I sit alone every morning for an hour or two. The early morning is for me a sacred time, what the Celts call a “thin place,” where the gap between the sacred and the secular is very narrow. T… Continue reading