Category Archives: Life

In My Chaos Era

Posted on August 11, 2026 by clubfredbaja

I made it. I’m sitting on my lounge chair, on the deck of our house, on a deliciously crisp and cool summer morning, and I feel…good. Genuinely and organically good. It’s a bone deep good and the kind that, only … Continue reading →

Posted in Grief and Mourning, Health and wellness, Life, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Present Company Excluded

Posted on April 25, 2023 by clubfredbaja

Here’s your assignment: The next time you watch a movie or a TV or Netflix show, pay attention to characters speaking on the phone. Now, watch to see if they say “Goodbye” or “Bye” before they hang up. My guess … Continue reading →

Posted in Health and wellness, Life, Mental Health | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

What Next?

Posted on April 20, 2023 by clubfredbaja

It’s no secret that the past three years have not been my finest. I’ve made progress but the graph of my mental health and overall happiness would look very much like the rollercoaster it has been. This winter, in particular, … Continue reading →

Posted in Family & Children, Friends, Life, Mental Health, Nostalgia | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Absent Imaginary Friends

Posted on February 16, 2023 by clubfredbaja

“Oh! I thought you had someone in here with you,” Gram said. And then, after a puzzled silence, “What are you doing?” What I was doing, hours after my official bedtime, in the dark, was acting out one of my … Continue reading →

Posted in Friends, Grief and Mourning, Life, Mental Health, On Scribbling | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Letters to Myself: Give Up on Your Goals

Posted on September 16, 2021 by clubfredbaja

Dear Kristene, You are a planner. You got that from your mom, your adopted mom, who would spend the better part of a year planning a summer vacation. Remember the stacks of folded clothes on the basement table, months before … Continue reading →

Posted in Grief and Mourning, Health and wellness, Life, Mental Health, On Scribbling | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Letters to Myself: The Problem With Nice

Posted on August 24, 2021 by clubfredbaja

Dear Kristene, At the risk of slaughtering your sacred cow, let’s talk about your dad. He was, as you know, awesome at so many things and you are perfectly right to admire his gentle, fun-loving, easy-going nature. He was hard … Continue reading →

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It’s a Flying Shame

Posted on May 5, 2021 by clubfredbaja

What are you ashamed of?   What words do you struggle to say aloud? What thoughts make you cringe? What truth about yourself would devastate you if it were made public? I was raised by a mother who, because of … Continue reading →

Posted in Friends, Health and wellness, Life, Mental Health | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Fun and Games

Posted on April 28, 2021 by clubfredbaja

On the evening of May 1, 1993, I knew I didn’t want to marry my first husband. In a car with two of our mutual friends, I drove around town and scoured the local bars to find my fiancé. He’d … Continue reading →

Posted in Friends, Health and wellness, Life, Love | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

This Post Is For One Person

Posted on August 14, 2020 by clubfredbaja

Waiting for a bus, a woman says to the man next to her, “Wow, it’s twice as cold today as it was yesterday!” Yesterday it was 0 degrees Celsius. What is the temperature today? This is the question that changed … Continue reading →

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Broken

Posted on October 29, 2017 by clubfredbaja

Packing up has begun over here at the Coconut Chronicles. Slowly, I am organizing posts and putting them into boxes. I seal them with tape and mark in black felt pen “Bahamas”, “Florida”, “Ucluelet”, “Baja”, and so on. There are … Continue reading →

Posted in Friends, Grief and Mourning, Life, On Scribbling | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments