Judi Ketteler

4 weeks ago | cincinnatimagazine.com | Judi Ketteler

Emily Dickinson and I have always had a thing. It’s no surprise that a shy girl would find a kindred spirit in the recluse poet from Amherst, Massachusetts. A woman the world neither understood nor appreciated while she was alive, who wrote constantly, scribbling down lines and joining words together in unexpected ways to help make sense of life. It’s fair to say Emily had me at, “I’m Nobody! Who are you?” circa eighth grade. There was the wit and inside joke of, “Are you – Nobody – too?

2 months ago | cincinnatimagazine.com | Judi Ketteler

Of all the topics I might discuss in this column, I never thought baking—and providing an actual recipe—would be one of them, considering I don’t actually cook. I did cook, long ago, when I was single. I didn’t mind it, and I don’t think I was terrible at it. I schlepped through the Oakley Kroger with my list and made lots of stir fries, pastas, and soups. When my husband and I married 18 years ago, we alternated cooking. We were on par with each other at first, and then he just became way better.

Nov 25, 2024 | cincinnatimagazine.com | Judi Ketteler

I keep asking my cousins about their blood. I ’ve already exhausted my siblings. Who has low platelets in this family? Speak up now! I need to see if there’s a genetic trail. My blood has been coming back with low platelets for at least 20 years. The normal range is something like 150,000 to 300,000 and mine have long hovered around 100,000. In my most recent bloodwork, my white blood cell count came back a bit low, too. (A little bit, to be clear.) My B-12 count was also at the low end of acceptable.

Oct 20, 2024 | discover.silversea.com | Judi Ketteler

As travelers, we’re always chasing that ever-elusive feeling of awe, with high expectations for every adventure. We don’t want to merely see the iguanas on the Galápagos Islands or the iconic temple of Cambodia’s Angkor Wat; we want to feel fully absorbed in these cherished moments to remember how incredible they felt, and slow travel is one way to achieve this. The practice of mindfulness while traveling can help us feel more intensely immersed in the ephemeral.

Sep 19, 2024 | cincinnatimagazine.com | Judi Ketteler

My husband and I have been going on dates with other people. Together. Let me back up: Together, my husband and I have been going on dates with other couples. And no, despite my click-bait lead, we’re not swingers. We’re just trying to make friends. As it turns out, that’s a tricky thing to do in our stage of life. We’re not yet footloose and fancy-free retired people, with endless time on our hands. But we also don’t need babysitters for our kids anymore.