Way to go, msbelle! Walking, or jogging, or running, the bottom line is doing it. I walked all my marathons. It was what was possible.

msbelle, I salute your iron will!

Zen, I'm admiring the heck out of Bizzaro!Zen. Not necessarily agreeing, just admiring. From over here.

Dana, and others, I agree 110% with what that article says; I've lived much of it. But I have to put in a disclaimer here that (while we had the choice) while I spent the kids' preschool years at home with them, H and I reversed roles when I got the better paying job with better benefits; he stayed home when they were teenagers, and also to care for my parents. Even after he went back to work, he took on the lion's share of care for my dad, incapacitated by Parkinson's, and showed much more compassion and empathy with him than I was capable of doing.

Which proves her theory that emotional work, while expected and unpaid, is not the sole perview of the female.

That article made me appreciate anew how much emotional work my husband does in our marriage. I mean, I knew that about him when I married him, but it's good to be reminded.

Zen, light roast coffees may be lighter in flavor, but they are usually higher in caffeine too FWIW.

zoooom

Zen, I'm admiring the heck out of Bizzaro!Zen. Not necessarily agreeing, just admiring. From over here.

That's probably wise. It could be contagious.

Dana, and others, I agree 110% with what that article says; I've lived much of it.

Me too. It's another "invisible" thing women do. Everyone, including other women, just seems to expect it of women and not of men, and yet we get no social credit for it, or acknowledgment of how valuable and necessary it is. I'm glad this is starting to change.

I am thrilled beyond beyond that my workplace requires zero emotional work on my part. I do ok with home stuff, but I have a hard limit and don't always see when it is coming and then I'm done, which with me as the only adult for Mac was sometimes hard. Not so much anymore as he requires less so my reserves get filled more frequently. I dread my parents needing care. Lose sleep dread.

That article made me appreciate anew how much emotional work my husband does in our marriage.

Yeah, I'm very glad I was reading those stories and thinking, my husband doesn't do that crappy thing, he's really good about doing this good thing.

Also, my dad, who certainly does some stuff like expect my mother to do all of the Christmas shopping for his huge family, took on plenty of the burden of caring for my mom's aging parents.

My BFF not only takes care of the Christmas presents for her and her husband, she has somehow ended up wrapping all the gifts for TWO of her brothers. One is unmarried, and the one who is married won't wrap his presents for him!

Yeah, I'm very glad I was reading those stories and thinking, my husband doesn't do that crappy thing, he's really good about doing this good thing.

Tim is not bad, but when it comes to remembering his own family's birthdays, he is the actual WORST. Every year, I make a photo calendar for everyone in his family with photos from the past year (it was my idea; I like making them). I put everyone's birthdays on the calendar. And then, on our copy of the calendar, I highlighted each birthday in bright yellow highlighter. The calendar hangs in the kitchen where he sees it 50 times a day.

He STILL doesn't remember his family's birthdays. I have stopped reminding him until about 10 p.m. on the actual birthday, at which point he smacks his forehead and asks me why I didn't tell him sooner.

And yet he is still alive.

In other news, OMG, look at this job listing for Executive Director of the American Quidditch League. If I was at all qualified, I would apply in a second.

[link]

Suzi, what does CJ make of this article? [link]

Something actually weird about how national parks handle missing persons, or scare tactics to drum up sales for a series of books?