Into the Wilderness: Story 51 My husband and I have worked hard to forge a relationship based on equality, respect and compassion. My husband is almost 70, so when I say we worked hard, I am referring to working through the embedded unconscious bias men his age have. To be clear, he has always beenContinue reading “Claiming Space”
Author Archives: Cheryl Wipper
Butterfly
Into the wilderness: Story 50 Imagine the life of a butterfly. First, the egg clinging to the underside of a leaf, miniscule yet tough. Its chorionic shell hides a waxy center with enough joules to form life. Inside, a yolk both produces its new self and serves itself as food for the larva to consumeContinue reading “Butterfly”
Heavy Memories
Into the Wilderness: Story 49 When you’re obese, you will always have a fat mind. Notice I said “mind.” Even if or after you lose weight, your mind cannot release the heavy tread of damage obesity causes. It’s two fold: society’s continual denigration of fat and one’s layers of fat shame deeply embedded in theContinue reading “Heavy Memories”
Average Joes, Strings Part 3
Into the Wilderness: Story 48 And then there was Joe. I didn’t want to pull this string. I let it dangle until I singed the threads, a definite end. He was smart, kind, gentlemanly, open minded, polite. I don’t remember how I met him, only that he was more enthusiastic about dating me than IContinue reading “Average Joes, Strings Part 3”
The violence inside
Into the Wilderness: Story 47 When you grow up in a family with rage, the violence festers inside you. It fuses with your genes, a biological link now passable to future generations. I know this because I am the angry daughter of a furious man. I have borne a child who simmers and seethes; angerContinue reading “The violence inside”
Mamma’s daughter
Into the Wilderness: Story 46 June marks two sad milestones for my sister and me. On June 15, 33 years ago, our dear mother passed away. June 29 would have been her 88th birthday. In some years, these dates slip by, the loss a pattern of early summer, as familiar as the still-blossoming trees, theContinue reading “Mamma’s daughter”
Strings, Part 2
Into the wilderness: Story 45 Here’s another string I didn’t pull. It’s a handsome young man, military, muscled, groomed. He sat next to me in Middle English Language and Literature. He broadcasted unfiltered masculinity; he also was an English major. We became friends, often sitting on the grass of the University’s central grounds in frontContinue reading “Strings, Part 2”
Strings
Into the Wilderness: Story 44 At night, I struggle to sleep. I start my routine, washing and scrubbing my face, layering, vitamin C, snail mucin, hylaraunic acids, retin A and serums across my face. This is as much a way of separating day from night as it is an anti-aging regimen. Each elixir layers meContinue reading “Strings”
Courthouse Blues, or the Devil Came Up to Jersey
A Surviving Facts Blog In 2025, I’ve had two views of our legal system. One completed earlier this year after a period of back and forth. The other occurred last week- that’s why you haven’t heard from me. My husband and I were sued by a food delivery person who claimed something happened on ourContinue reading “Courthouse Blues, or the Devil Came Up to Jersey”
On the Spectrum-Republished
Into the Wilderness: Story 12 Raising Autism: Survey 101 I have yet to write about ASD, or Autism Spectrum Disorder. That’s because we had yet to make the connection. Girls are less likely than boys to be diagnosed with ASD, even when they manifest typical behaviors. Currently, boys outnumber girls with autism four to oneContinue reading “On the Spectrum-Republished”
Walk the Moon 