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I finally did it. After putting it off for several years, I finally decided to have my abdominal hernias repaired. I did everything to prepare for the surgery. I talked with the doctors about the procedure, watched YouTube videos, and talked extensively with my sister, a physician, about my recovery.

Each breath she attempted to take was mixed with a desperate cough that sounded like gravel under a construction boot. Instinctively, I tried to get closer to help, as did others who were witnessing the medical emergency, but her friend who had knelt on the floor with her ordered us…

“So there was an incident,” she said when I entered the play area where my son was waiting. When I was hired as a high school teacher six weeks after my oldest son was born, we were blessed to find a fantastic woman to care for him during the day.

The Tyrannosaurus rex had already done a number on the all-terrain truck. And while the movie’s hero, Dr. Grant, had saved one child from the wreckage, Tim, a frightened young boy, was still stuck in the overturned vehicle. Suddenly, the T. rex pushes the SUV over an enclosure, and after…

“He feels betrayed,” I said to my student as she sat in her chair. “So there are different emotions your character has to have once she realizes he’s poisoned her.” My actress nodded in agreement and repositioned herself to start the scene over. It was Shakespeare Tuesday in the theater…

My aunt laughed as she set the beverage down on the coffee table. “Go ahead,” she coaxed, “try it!” I stared at the clear plastic cup in front of me. The liquid looked like my favorite soda (or pop, depending on what region of the U.S. you’re from), but according…

The familiar ding of the message notification pulled me out of my deep concentration. Between article deadlines, productions meetings, and numerous writing consultations, I was used to pausing to answer messages from clients, actors, and editors. So I lazily picked up my phone and opened the messaging app, only to…

The cast was revving up for the midsong dance break, with 16 counts left. Because the performers occupied the stage and the floor, I took weeks to choreograph the musical number to account for my high school students’ safety. Nevertheless, I smiled as the audience, a captivated crowd of dinner…

The narrator had me at the edge of my seat. Finally, after almost an hour, I was sure I knew how this would end. And then, plot twist! It was the friend from the beginning of the episode. My surprised yelp caused my husband, PJ, to glance up from his…

“Nope!” I said matter-of-factly to my general practitioner. “The only thing that does is make me feel loopy.” “We can’t have that,” he replied. He jotted something down on his trusty prescription pad, ripped off the top sheet, and handed it to me. “Let me know if this works for…