Iris Ruth Pastor

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Wardrobe Woes and Other First World Problems

March 21, 2025March 21, 2025 Iris Ruth Pastor

Her name was Kara and she totally intimidated me. She was my roommate when I transferred to University of Florida as a broken-hearted sophomore. (That’s a whole other column!)  She was from Atlanta, an only child, seemingly spoiled rotten. I gauged this assumption based on the frequency and size of the care packages that arrived Continue reading

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I Hate Everything

March 14, 2025March 14, 2025 Iris Ruth Pastor

Just like Alexander in the book Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible No Good, Very Bad Day, I am not having a good day. And I hate everything. I hate that this country is so divided.I hate that anti-Semitism is rising exponentially. I hate that all media outlets are biased.  I hate that my printer malfunctions and can only be replaced Continue reading

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Keeping the Family Together In Spite of Distance

March 7, 2025March 6, 2025 Iris Ruth Pastor

My mom and dad kept the family together by hosting weekly dinners at their house on Sunday evenings during the years my husband and I were raising our kids. The menu didn’t vary much – the mainstay was grilled filet mignon steaks. A huge favorite for my kids was the “free samples” they got from my Continue reading

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The Best Anecdote to Aging

February 28, 2025February 28, 2025 Iris Ruth Pastor

Okay.I’m 77 years old. I’m finally coming to terms with things I will never be good at:AccountingGiving bloodBallet On the other hand, I’m cultivating and enhancing things I’m already partially skilled at – taking them to a new level. Like having FUN! Yes, I’m taking time for frivolity.  We in Tampa have a Mardi Gras type celebration in the Continue reading

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I’m Ashamed of Myself

February 21, 2025February 21, 2025 Iris Ruth Pastor

I’m ashamed of myself. This month my book club elected to read a book on the NYT Best Seller List: James – a reimagining of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. I ordered it from Amazon and when it arrived – without reading much about it – I casually glanced at the opening pages and was startled to see a very unfamiliar Continue reading

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How to Fully Enjoy Valentine’s Day

February 14, 2025February 14, 2025 Iris Ruth Pastor

A few years ago, I passed out a survey to a cluster of couples of varying ages whom I considered to have a “solid, well-functioning” relationship. (Is there even such a thing?  Hee hee!) Primarily I asked them what irritated and/or annoyed them most about their mates or partners.  Here’s a sample of their responses: HUSBANDS Continue reading

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The Danger of Too High Expectations

February 7, 2025February 7, 2025 Iris Ruth Pastor

This week a close friend of mine sent me the following quote:Happiness equals success over expectations I couldn’t agree more. Discontent is fed by our unmet expectations for others. I have them.And a lot of my friends have them too.  Mainly these unmet expectations are over our children – their choices, their priorities, their valuesand the way they lead Continue reading

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I’m Not Crazy About Valentine’s Day

January 31, 2025January 30, 2025 Iris Ruth Pastor

I’m not crazy about Valentine’s Day.I’m not crazy about Mother’s Day either – or any day that singles out an emotion like romantic love and/or parenting prowess. If my family’s response to these two holidays doesn’t meet my expectations, I get depressed. Then I get angry. Then I start questioning whether I am I a great mother or partneror even Continue reading

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I Am A Writer…

January 24, 2025January 24, 2025 Iris Ruth Pastor

I could not only buy this sweatshirt, but could wear it daily. And I’d get lots and lots of nods in agreement. Every time a friend shares a confidence or a slightly off-color joke or a controversial political opinion, they jokingly, but also quite seriously, inquire of me the following:  I’m not going to see this Continue reading

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My Little Brother

January 17, 2025January 17, 2025 Iris Ruth Pastor

Whew! Finally, the L. A. fires are weakening, though dangerous conditions are still expected next week. So far: 25 dead and more than 12,000 structures have been destroyed – encompassing 60 square miles. And in the Tampa Bay Area? We are still dealing with the brutal aftermath of two back-to-back hurricanes – Helene and Milton in Continue reading

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Incidentally, Iris

For the past ten years, Iris’s “Incidentally Iris” column has appeared in The American Israelite, a weekly newspaper for Cincinnati’s Jewish community and the American Jewish community. Founded as The Israelite on July 15,1854, by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, the paper today is the oldest English-Jewish weekly in America and the second oldest in the world. (The London Jewish Chronicle was founded in 1841.) Read Incidentally, Iris columns on The American Israelite