Joyce O’Day
Bio
After retiring from teaching world history for over 20 years, I am living every day on holiday: enjoying life with my family, traveling, gardening, engaging with my community in Las Vegas, and reflecting on the current state of the world.
Stories (56/0)
Château Mémoire
The mirror showed a reflection that wasn’t my own. I suddenly became so dizzy that I fell to the ground. After a minute or two, I pulled myself up and looked back at the mirror. I smoothed my coiffed bun; the course gray hairs are impossible to keep in place. Without Louisa, my lady’s maid, getting dressed and doing my hair has become a major ordeal. Drawing in my breath, I adjusted my corset, lifting and arranging my breasts in place. Finally, I fluffed my three petticoats into proper form.
By Joyce O’Dayabout a year ago in Fiction
Swim Lessons with Honu
Cody climbed onto his surfboard, paddled out past the break, and kept going. He watched the sun set over the water, and kept moving. Darkness settled in, but Cody kept paddling. When the stars came out to greet him, Cody sat up on his board. The ache in his right leg practically took his breath away. The pain meds he took earlier had worn off, along with the Jack Daniel’s. It didn’t matter. He wouldn’t last long anyway.
By Joyce O’Dayabout a year ago in Fiction
My Father-In-Law Passed As White
Growing up, my husband Daniel never questioned his “white” identity, even though the truth was clear to see. Daniel’s father James was as dark as Barack Obama, but since he worked outdoors as a carpenter, my husband attributed his dad’s skin color to having a tan. James kept his tell-tale hair cropped short and often wore his cowboy hat. James never discussed his depression-era childhood, aside from saying he was an orphan, and my husband never pushed him for additional information.
By Joyce O’Dayabout a year ago in Confessions
Later-Born Baby Boomers Have a New Name: Generation Jones
Classic Boomers born between 1946 and 1954 have always dominated the Baby Boomers — a generation defined more by their sheer numbers than by true generational characteristics — while Late Boomers were ignored as a Lost Generation.
By Joyce O’Dayabout a year ago in FYI
Facing My White Privilege
THE NIGHT MY WHITE PRIVILEGE SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE My last MRI was scheduled for 8:00pm — a time when the facility was virtually empty. Shortly after my arrival, an older man checked in and mentioned to the gal at the front desk that he had recently moved to Las Vegas from Mission Viejo, an upper-middle-class city in Orange County, California. And by older, I mean OLD. I was 59 and he was at least 15 years my senior. With only the three of us in the room, I initiated a conversation, mentioning that I was from Lake Forest, (formerly known as El Toro), the town next to Mission Viejo.
By Joyce O’Dayabout a year ago in Confessions
The Danger of Casual Antisemitism
THE GREAT AWAKENING OF RACISM The last five years have witnessed a marked increase in racism of all varieties: Black, Latino, Muslim, Asian, and Antisemitism. The Trump presidency encouraged racists to come out of the closet and show their true colors, often by displaying their symbolic flags. In earlier decades of my boomer lifetime, Americans behaved with greater discretion – for the most part.
By Joyce O’Dayabout a year ago in Humans
Positive Thinking Will Not Solve Every Problem
Some people are going through hell. They have a loved one diagnosed with a life-threatening illness or injury. They are financially destitute. They are barely surviving in a cave of depression. Telling these people that their misery is due to negative thinking is both cruel and inaccurate.
By Joyce O’Dayabout a year ago in Humans