No Matter Where I Go...Week #3

My Waterloo, My Shoes and More Me (because you haven't gotten nearly enough!)

For anyone tuning in late, I’m a journalist and creative writer. This newsletter is a one-year experiment to see if I can write about me, my work, my family etc. every week. I’m also giving out free advice and including lots of tips and perhaps worthwhile tidbits — like events and giveaways! —so at least scroll to the end. I’ve made big promises that I’ll be sure to disclose too much information. We have a whole year and it’s very early, though. And also I said that this week’s dispatch would be short since I’m on the road moving my oldest son from California to his new college on the East Coast.

We took a little detour, folks — as I’m wont to do. We visited Niagra Falls and I’ll show you that, but first I’ll just say that I learned long ago that all roads really lead to home. I’m originally from Waterloo, Iowa, and no matter where I go Waterloo is never far.

Take a look at the car right in front of us in Niagra Falls, Canada.

Or the drink I had last night at a nice dinner here in Ithaca, NY, with my son, his new roommate and the roommate’s family.

This gin and watermelon drink is a Waterloo!

This happens all the time. No matter where I go, there’s Waterloo.

One of my favorite mentions of Waterloo, Iowa, is in the movie “Carol” with Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara (based on the Patricia Highsmith novel “The Price of Salt”). I don’t have time to re-watch the movie this week, but I believe that they say the name of the town is funny (true!) and then they consummate their affair in none other than Waterloo. No pithy comment on that except to say there are worse ways to be put on the map.

For instance: I often meet a group of women on Sunday mornings to hike in California. O. is the organizer and she recently told me she was reading about Oelwein and my hometown in the book “Methland: The Death and Life of an American Small Town.” I’ll have plenty to say about this in coming weeks — especially in relation to drugs and my family. Right now I’ll just comment that over the past few years I’ve noticed real improvements in Waterloo. Quentin Hart, the city’s first Black mayor, appears to be doing his job!

Now let’s talk about my shoes. These are the only shoes I brought on this trip and they’ve served me well.

I’ve been logging an insane amount of steps because they have the parents parking in the hinterland. These are Oesh shoes, created by Dr. Casey Kerrigan. I was supposed to write a story for Mother Jones about Kerrigan’s research and a little controversy over whether Big Tennis Shoe is knowingly selling us junk food footwear, but that story became a COVID casualty (sob sob). Given all the real causalities of the pandemic, this is nothing to complain about. I was still sad that the story didn’t see the light of day. I’m not yet calling it my Waterloo (as in my defeat). I need to resurrect it and re-pitch. For now, though…According to what I learned during the research for my (for now) ill-fated story, the long and short of it is that your shoes should not have all the bells and whistles that most athletic shoe companies include (i.e. raised heel, arch support, motion control). In fact, some experts believe those features are contributing to an epidemic of knee arthritis.

Lastly, because everyone is going back to school, I’ll share a story I wrote earlier this summer for The Washington Post. It’s about parenting and neurodiversity, which is a term I did not invent. Neurodiversity is used to describe all sorts of things, including learning disabilities, being on the spectrum and a bunch of stuff.

A mention of Marianne Sunderland’s Homeschooling with Dyslexia was left on the cutting room floor of this story. Sunderland is the mom of eight kids. All but one has dyslexia, ADHD and a variety of other learning disabilities. (Fun fact: one of those kids is Zac Sunderland, who in 2009 was the youngest person to sail solo around the world!) I found Marianne online when I was desperately looking for resources for my youngest son and I was pleased to discover that Marianne lives just a few miles from me. Anyway, I’m mentioning her because she offers these great online parent groups and a ton of valuable resources even if you aren’t homeschooling. So check it out if you need learning disability connections!

Here’s that shot of Niagra Falls…

By the way, we’ve surpassed the initial lofty goal of 5 subscribers. Thank you! I’m now creating a Nevertheless, She Persisted essential oil blend. Share this newsletter with someone and if the person subscribes I’ll put your name in a hat for a free essential oil blend.

Also — I’m moderating a conversation with science journalists Kate Gammon and Stephani Sutherland on August 30. This is an online event through Southern California Science Writing. All are welcome. Join us!

I thought I might have something fun (read: derisive) to say about Ivy League folks, but alas everyone so far has been very down-to-earth!