Mary Novaria

When #MeToo blindsides you. April 28, 2018  by  Mary Novaria Click here to continue reading...

                                                                                          Mary Novaria photo The postman doesn’t ring twice. He knocks because we have no doorbell. He leaves the package by the door, knocks and scurries back toward his truck. I open the door to the tall narrow brown box leaning against the outside wall. “Thanks, Joseph!” I call, and Joseph, who’s wearing a pith helmet, turns around and I get his customary beaming smile. ‘’It’s an ironing board.” I don’t know why I’m compelled to tell him what’s in the box, but I do anyway. “You know you can just go get that at Walmart?” he teases. “Yeah, but… Amazon,” I say. “Free shipping. So easy.” Joseph laughs and says, “They’re keeping me in my job!” Aha...

My naturopath is frequently after me to drink enough water, so it’s an ongoing challenge to make sure my intake is adequate, which is especially tricky in the chilly winter months. Since the first of the year, I’ve been doing an above-average (for me) job of swallowing my daily quota of H 2 O, aiming for about ¾ gallon daily. Feeling accomplished, I rewarded myself with a new water bottle. I set the shiny, extra tall, rose-colored vessel down like a trophy on my doctor’s desk, expecting praise for keeping myself so well hydrated. Dr. K nodded toward the pink beauty and asked, “Do you drink out of that all the time?” “Pretty much!” She raised her eyebrows. “Oh, no…” I said, “the plastic?” But it’s BPA free! I thought these bottles were safe! “It’s just not a good idea,” she said. “These bottles mess with your hormones and can cause all kinds of problems you don’t even want to know about. You need to use glass.” So much for the “one word” p...