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Dry turkey on one side of the family, rum-soaked pudding on the other—somehow neither tasted like home. This week it's a re-release of my favorite funny Thanksgiving episode, and I'm pulling you into a holiday world where salt was outlawed, bay leaves did all the heavy lifting, and stuffing came from a box you didn’t want seconds of. It’s funny because it’s true, and it’s tender because it’s about more than food: it’s about learning to rewrite rituals, find the middle between deprivation and excess, and choose the kind of Thanksgiving that actually feeds you. The scary part? This actually happened to me!  

I trace the arc from childhood meals that missed the mark to the first adult revelation of a table with real flavor—where seasoning has courage and the stuffing finally delivers. There’s a detour to Skid Row with a volunteer badge and an unexpected lesson about impact when good intentions outnumber the plates. Then comes the career war story: an all-nighter on government proposals, a nap on a dining room floor, and a raw-turkey showdown at dawn that turns into a crash course in timing, triage, and gravy without a safety net.

By the end, we land in a realistic, humane place: smoked turkey, smart store-bought sides, one ambitious homemade dish, and the logistical comedy of someone who really wasn't raised to cook. The heart stays steady—gratitude for partners, pets, and the freedom to craft traditions that fit real lives. If you’ve ever laughed at a lumpy gravy, dodged a crowded grocery store at 8 a.m., or wondered how to make the holidays yours, you’ll feel seen here. Listen, share a laugh, and tell us your most chaotic Thanksgiving victory or fail. Subscribe, leave a review, and pass this one to a friend who salts first and explains later.

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Twelve days in the hospital can blur into a single, sleepless memory. After an ER stretch that felt endless, we finally brought my husband home—but not before the big question families everywhere wrestle with: skilled nursing facility or recovery at home. 

I share a past experience guiding my thinking: my dad’s fall, a stint in rehab, and an underwhelming version of “more PT” that didn’t translate into real progress. That history didn’t force our hand, but it sharpened our questions about quality physical therapy, rest, and dignity. This time, community made the difference. Neighbors stepped up to walk our high-energy dog. Our pets—confused, then subdued—lit back up when he returned, reminding me that emotional care is part of medical recovery. Thirty steps from the car to the bed became a milestone, not just movement.

Caregiving is logistics and love in equal measure. LA traffic, parking, security lines, long hallways, and longer worries take a toll that numbers don’t capture. Choosing home shifted us from system-led routines to human-centered care: a no-fall rule, simple meals, structured rest, and steady check-ins from people who know us. The week’s rain—an atmospheric river—forced a slower rhythm and gave us the space to notice progress: better sleep, less pain, more calm.

If you’re on the edge of a similar choice, this story offers a practical lens: prioritize sleep, demand meaningful therapy, and build a small circle that shares the load. We’re not chasing perfect; we’re building momentum. Subscribe for more candid looks at adulthood’s hard decisions, share this with someone navigating care choices, and leave a review with your best home-healing tip so others can learn from your experience.

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The healthcare system doesn’t hand out a manual or a how-to brochure for that matter about how to deal with health issues. After a hospital discharged us with no pain meds and no clear plan because we declined surgery, we faced a stark choice: wait and watch strength fade, or push for access to a team that could actually help. In this episode, I walk you through the messy middle—how we navigated private medical transport when an ambulance wouldn’t cross districts, how a simple wheelchair pivot got us through ER doors, and why a 26-hour stay still felt like progress once a thoughtful plan came together.

You’ll hear what advocacy looks like at eye level. I talk about the emotional load: the exhaustion of showing up every day, the friction when a long-time diabetic gets talked down to, and the constant triage at home with pets, traffic, parking, and the Halloween lights that stubbornly stayed on while life and its challenges kept moving forward.

This conversation is for anyone who loves someone in pain, anyone juggling chronic conditions with acute crises, and anyone who suspects that “trust your doctor” needs the companion phrase “and verify the plan.” We share the small wins that sustain momentum, from a wheeled recliner that gave needed sleep to a care team willing to explain their thinking and aim for a selective nerve block once blood thinners clear. It’s a candid look at how to move from helpless to purposeful, one decision and one question at a time.

If this resonated, follow the show, leave a review, and share it with someone who might need the courage to advocate today. Your story could be the nudge another caregiver needs.

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This week's episode is abbreviated to say the least with my husband's health issues taking center stage!  Short updates on things going on.  Did you listen to last week's interview by the way?  

If this resonates, follow the Only Child Diaries Podcast on your favorite app, leave a rating and review to help others find us, and share the show with a friend who needs a thoughtful voice in their feed. Join us on Instagram at Only Child Diaries and Facebook at Only Child Diaries Podcast, and tell us what you want to hear next.

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What if the quiet of an only-child home becomes the engine for a louder, fuller life? Tracy sits down with Leslie Berlin to trace that arc—from a childhood shaped by early divorce and Sunday dinners with dad to a grown-up world built on cousins, neighbors, and in-laws who feel like true family. Leslie’s warmth and candor turn familiar worries into practical wisdom: how to learn confrontation without sibling sparring matches, how to make small holidays feel rich, and how to carry a caregiving load without carrying it alone.

The conversation opens a window into the everyday realities only children often face as adults. Leslie shares what it looked like to support her father through decline, then to become the point person for her 91-year-old mother—text threads, emojis, and all. She reminds us that siblings don’t guarantee shared responsibility, and networks don’t build themselves; you invite people in before life gets heavy. We also explore marriage into a big family, the beauty of seeing her two sons lean on each other, and the honest joy of a house that finally feels busy.

One of the most powerful parts of Leslie’s story centers on food allergies. Two decades ago, finding safe milk substitutes and nut-free options required detective work. Instead of staying anxious, she wrote a children’s book to help kids feel normal and included, even if that meant showing up with their own cupcake. It’s a blueprint for turning fear into service: notice the gap, do the work, and leave something useful behind. Along the way we trade comfort picks—Grease, Cars, and cake—and capture the simple advice Leslie would give her younger self: most people aren’t thinking about you, so live larger.

If this conversation resonates, follow Only Child Diaries, leave a review, and share it with a friend who’s redefining what family means. Your support helps more listeners find stories that make them feel seen.

About Leslie Berlin:  

On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leslie-berlin-6974623b/

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leslie.r.berlin

You can find Leslie Berlin's book here:  

https://tinyurl.com/5hbryv9h

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What do you hold onto when the week unravels—when a hospital discharge turns into a maze of home care, a storm flattens your Halloween decorations, and the cat needs an ER visit at 1 a.m.? I walk through a stretch of days where everything asked for attention at once and explain how I kept moving by choosing a glass half-full approach.  

We start with my husband’s recovery plan: two bulging discs, a broken rib, and a team effort that includes a visiting nurse, physical therapy, a wound specialist, and a weekly aide. A standout moment arrives when our PT coaxes a first walk—20 or so steady steps that feel like a miracle. From there, the scene shifts to the front yard, where rain and wind test my Halloween display. An eight-foot headless horseman topples. Inflatables deflate. Lights go dark. I share the hacks that brought it back to life—tarps, patience, and an unglamorous amount of duct tape.

Mid-chaos, my own chest cold demands a slowdown, and then our diabetic cat crashes—vomiting, lethargic, glucose running high—pushing us into the overnight vet grind. IV fluids, anti-nausea meds, a dawn drive home, and a long nap later, he’s eating again and the house relaxes. These aren’t tidy plot lines; they’re the lived lessons of caregiving, pet health, and home logistics. Through it all, I keep returning to gratitude as a daily decision: a way to find small wins, protect energy, and set priorities that actually fit inside a human day. Recent losses in our circle underline the point—time is not guaranteed, and attention is our most powerful tool.

If this resonates—if you’ve juggled caregiving, recovery, or just a week that wouldn’t quit—tune in, ride along, and borrow what helps. Follow the show, leave a review so others can find it, and share this episode with someone who could use a reminder that small wins count.

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A cascade of pain, four falls, and a fractured rib turned a quiet week into a high-stakes navigation of hospital systems, protocols, and hard choices. We walk you through the unvarnished reality of being a caregiver when the lights of the ambulance meet the glow of Halloween decorations, the dog won’t stop barking, and the chart misses the most important details. From the ER intake to a five-day stay that demanded constant vigilance, we dig into medication mix-ups, the pharmacist “went home” moment, and why hydration and wound care can’t be afterthoughts for patients with fragile kidneys and complex histories.

The diagnosis—two bulging discs—forced a pivotal decision between surgery and conservative care. We share how a trusted endocrinologist stepped in to coordinate with a young spine surgeon, why steroids made sense but required tight glucose management, and how we pushed to secure prescriptions before discharge to avoid a weekend without relief. If you’ve ever had to repeat the same facts to every new face who enters the room, this story will feel familiar: advocacy isn’t optional; it’s the backbone of safe care.

Back home, we reset the house for recovery—clearing paths for a walker, coordinating a visiting nurse and PT, and trying to rest while fighting off a cold, wrangling taxes, and protecting inflatable Halloween classics from the rain. Along the way, we offer practical, field-tested tips: keep a one-page medical summary, build a go-bag, script your must-say lines, and create a backchannel with at least one clinician who will actually pick up. Press play for honesty, small wins, and a roadmap for anyone caring for someone they love in a system that doesn’t hand out how-to brochures.

If this resonates, follow the show, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs a solid dose of validation and a few hard-won tactics.

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The week started with hope—physical therapy was finally helping my husband to build strength and balance—then it swerved into a nerve flare that turned my husband into a bedridden dependent partner that made me worry and exhausted at the same time. Caregiving isn’t glamorous; it’s small adjustments repeated with patience: finding a position that eases pain, measuring the day by steps, and choosing what gets dropped when everything can’t fit. I share how “in sickness and in health” moved from wedding language to lived logistics, and why love often sounds like, “I’ve got you—again.”

Between rounds of care, life kept arriving. I hosted a cultivation lunch for 25, then stood with friends at a memorial mass, trying to show up for grief with grace. To keep my head above water, I turned to Halloween—DIY ghosts, an inflatable, and the headless horseman my husband usually engineers. I’m not an animatronics person, but I learned on the fly. Early doubts turned into small wins, and those visible wins mattered when the rest of the week felt like quicksand. Sometimes you need proof that effort still produces joy.

We also wrestle with taxes, timing, and the eternal question: finish the paperwork before the decorations, or protect your sanity with a creative break? I admit the guilt, name a real deadline, and explain the hidden economy of hard weeks—how priorities flex without losing what matters most. If you’re navigating caregiving, chronic pain, household projects, or just a schedule that won’t behave, this conversation offers practical perspective, a few laughs, and permission to let something be imperfect while you care for someone you love.

If this resonates, follow Only Child Diaries on your favorite app, leave a rating and review to help others find us, and share this episode with a friend who’s juggling more than seems possible.

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Have you ever broken a promise to yourself for something that unexpectedly connected you to someone you've lost? That's exactly what happened when I subscribed to The New York Times after vowing never to accumulate publications again.

When we moved from our apartment a few years ago, we discovered mountains of magazines and newspaper clippings tucked away in closets and corners—evidence of my fundraising career, my husband's modeling hobby, and our shared love of reading. The sheer volume prompted a solemn vow: no more paper subscriptions. Yet here I am, with daily delivery of The New York Times in all its physical glory.

The newspaper has become more than just a source of information. With its quality reporting and surprisingly superior paper texture, it has unexpectedly transported me back to memories of my former boss Ruth, who always had The New York Times with her in the office. This month would have been her 76th birthday, four and a half years after her unexpected passing. As I turn each page, I feel connected to her unique, quirky personality that left such an impression on everyone she met. The newspaper has become a bridge between past and present, a tangible reminder of someone important.

Now I face a new challenge: the practice of "reading and letting go" rather than saving interesting articles. It's a small but meaningful exercise in impermanence that feels particularly poignant as I simultaneously help organize a memorial service for a friend's mother and set up Halloween decorations in the sweltering heat. Life continues its flow, and perhaps this newspaper subscription is teaching me to appreciate the moment without needing to preserve everything physically.

Join me next week as we tackle another topic together. If this resonated with you, please follow the Only Child Diaries podcast, leave a rating, and share with a friend who might enjoy these conversations about navigating adulthood with humor and light.

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Have you ever had a revelation when someone you've known for years suddenly reveals themselves to be completely different from who you thought they were? Maybe you suddenly started spending a LOT of time with them and finally got to really KNOW them?  That somewhat jarring disconnect between perception and reality forms the heart of this episode's exploration into the complicated layers of our closest relationships. And let's face it, sometimes we just give people the benefit of the doubt, right?  

Drawing from a recent experience with a friend who surprised me—not in a positive way—I reflect on what happens when we discover someone isn't as intelligent, insightful, or aligned with our values as we once believed. This revelation led me to consider the implications for marriages and long-term partnerships: What if you make a lifetime commitment only to discover fundamental incompatibilities later? How well can we truly know another person before taking that leap?

My husband and I knew each other for 17.5 years before marrying, which gave us an unusually thorough understanding of each other. Yet even then, surprises emerged. This raises important questions about relationship navigation: What are your "hard nos" in a partnership? At what point does disappointment in someone's character or capabilities change how you value the relationship? These aren't just philosophical musings but practical considerations for anyone building meaningful connections. There's no one on this earth that I feel I would align with 100% but I'd like to be close, at least for a spouse.  

Between updates on my upcoming interview with Leslie Berlin, tales of tax preparation woes, and excitement about our elaborate Halloween decorations (we're the first in the canyon to start setting up!), this episode marks four years of the Only Child Diaries podcast. Thank you for joining me on this journey of exploration and growth. What unexpected discoveries have you made about people in your life? Share your thoughts and follow along as we continue unpacking the complexities of human relationships together.

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