Connie Connely

When I retired from teaching in 2017, I had an exit plan. I recorded my students' grades, printed off a copy of my classroom's inventory, and left notes in my...

Write a letter to my blood cancer? Well, why not? I once attended a summer workshop for teachers where we wrote letters to ourselves, two months into the future. We addressed...

I think cancer is a bully. It makes me anxious the same way I felt when I tried to avoid my neighborhood bully. While growing up in Tulsa, Oklahoma, during...

I recently asked my oncologist if my low blood levels caused my irritability. She said, "Cancer makes your body tired, and your mind stressed. These factors affect your mood." That...

Hygge (pronounced hoo-ga) is a Danish word meaning to be cozy, comforting, or relaxing. Hygge is a way to bring happiness into your life. It could be spending time with...

I think I'm failing retirement. I blame President Jimmy Carter. He and his wife Rosalynn set the bar too high with all of their work for Habitat for Humanity. You...

Saturday, April 24. 1993, Catoosa, Oklahoma, was hit by a deadly tornado. Catoosa is my second hometown. I started teaching for Catoosa Public Schools in 1978 right out of college...

"I think you took out your anxieties on those hedges!" my neighbor said. We were looking at the two hedges on each side of my house. It was true; I...

I remember my dad saying to me when I was a little girl, "I think you have your giggle box turned over!" He would often add, "That's okay. I'd rather...

I think blood cancer is making me anxious or maybe it's this coronavirus. Darn! Why didn't I buy stock in a hand sanitizer company? I knew a lady who attended...

My mother and I were eating lunch at Taco Bell recently when a young lady approached us and said, "Hi, ladies. I need to buy some clothes for my great-aunt. ...

I was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) in 2017. Yes, it's a real thing. I've always thought it sounded like something from Star Trek, maybe something Mr. Spock would acquire...