Defined by "D"

The lovely hokgardner, whose days are extremely full working as a freelance writer, raising four kids, writing two blogs, knitting and running, did the meme “Brought to you by the letter.” I wanted to play along, so she assigned me the letter “D.” Here are 10 things in my life that start with D.
1. D ______. My Italian maiden name was a huge part of my identity growing up. At one international fair day in grade school, I paired up with my friend, whom is German. I wasn’t cheating—I’m a quarter German. But when people came up to our booth, they would say, “What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be in Italy.” Then I got married, took my husband’s easily pronounceable English last name, and no one knows I’m half-Italian, which makes me a little sad.
2. Denver. I was born and raised just outside of this city. I moved to Chicago for college because I wanted to live in a more intense urban environment—more shops, restaurants and museums. I got that, along with dirty, smelly subway rides and, at times, impossible traffic and crowds. The worst part, though, was worrying if you'd get assaulted when you left your apartment alone at night. I had to travel 1,000 miles and back to realize that suburban Denver is just right for me.
3. Doughnuts. Growing up, no Sunday morning was complete without eating a doughnut. It was a great pick-me-up after sitting through sleep-inducing 7 am mass every week.
4. Montrose and Damen. My husband and I lived off of this Chicago intersection for six years. I loved this part of town—it had quiet neighborhood feel even though we were in walking distance from great restaurants and shops. Plus, there was a big park we could stroll through when we needed a “nature fix.”

5. My dog, Lola. Our family’s basset hound wasn’t a perky, “let’s play catch” kind of dog. She’d rather nap in a sunny yard for hours. That lazy quality made her a great companion when we were home sick.
6. Dirt. I’ve grown to love gardening thanks to my farm-boy husband. As soon as we moved to the suburbs, we put in raised beds and started a vegetable garden. I get a strange satisfaction out of weeding.
7. John Donne. This 17th century womanizer-turned-vicar is one of the few poets I remember from my British Lit class in college. One of my favorite poems is “The Flea.”
8. Dumb bells. I started lifting when in college while I was on the cross-country team. I don’t run much anymore, but I still love going to the gym and lifting weights.
9. Dinosaurs. These prehistoric animals are a major part of my life thanks to Ethan’s obsession with them. He loves the beady eyes and razor-sharp talons and teeth of "meat-eaters." His desk is covered with plastic dinosaurs he uses to re-enact bloody encounters.

10. Depression. This isn’t something I love, but something that I’ve grown to accept. I was on anti-depressants all through my 20’s, and it helped somewhat. But when my husband and I wanted to start a family, I was worried about taking them during my pregnancy. I consulted a psychologist, and he recommended that I go off of them. When I asked him why, he said, “You’ve dealt with depression since childhood, and you have yet to go off the deep end.” I found his blunt statement oddly comforting. Ever since then, instead of fighting this part of myself, I’ve become more accepting of it, which helped me more than any pill.

Let me know if you’d like a letter!