June Scharf
Nana X is my new identity, forged initially out of the birth of my first granddaughter in 2024 and further solidified by the birth of my second granddaughter…11 months afterward. Yes, the girls are less than a year apart. Yes, my son and daughter-in-law are tired. And yes, everyone is healthy and finding their way.
With my birthday occurring in 1968, I’m an older member of Generation X (those born 1965-1980). I’m also a little earlier than many other Gen X’ers to arrive at the doorstep of grandparenting, so I’m eager to welcome others to the funhouse and this forum.
About me…I’m a writer with a long history of writing columns, magazine cover feature articles and personality profiles. I’ve also served as a podcast host/producer, and I’ve authored one book that remains unpublished mostly because I believe my true story exceeds people’s capacity to consume material about adversity. It captures four major life setbacks, any one of which might be considered one’s worst nightmare. The buy-in would be witnessing the struggle and seeing how circumstances are processed.
Title: SPARE ME YOUR ENVY: Stroke, Cancer, Divorce & Suicide. It details my life involving a stroke at age 10 (a tremor remains), breast cancer at age 45 (double mastectomy), divorce (after 25 years and two sons) and violent suicide (horrifying, heartbreaking and haunting, my son was 23). This all occurred by age 51.
The columns, similar to the approach to the book, lean on dramatic storytelling, rather than didactic narrative. While I offer evidence of the elasticity of the human spirit, I also deliver a message contrary to what many might assume. I believe in the power of surrendering, rather than invoking the posture and battle cry of the warrior. I expose the reality that people are not weak, but they can be fragile. And sometimes they do break. But mending is not a miracle, it’s an incremental and intentional practice.
My writing as Nana X pursues subjects with full transparency, drawing on the positive but also the messy sides of grandparenting. I’m attempting to capture some slices of life…now as a grandparent, fully embracing the journey, as fraught and fulfilling as it may be.
Thank you!
Nana X is my new identity, forged initially out of the birth of my first granddaughter in 2024 and further solidified by the birth of my second granddaughter…11 months afterward. Yes, the girls are less than a year apart. Yes, my son and daughter-in-law are tired. And yes, everyone is healthy and finding their way.
With my birthday occurring in 1968, I’m an older member of Generation X (those born 1965-1980). I’m also a little earlier than many other Gen X’ers to arrive at the doorstep of grandparenting, so I’m eager to welcome others to the funhouse and this forum
About me…I’m a writer with a long history of writing columns, magazine cover feature articles and personality profiles. I’ve also served as a podcast host/producer, and I’ve authored one book that remains unpublished mostly because I believe my true story exceeds people’s capacity to consume material about adversity. It captures four major life setbacks, any one of which might be considered one’s worst nightmare. The buy-in would be witnessing the struggle and seeing how circumstances are processed.
Title: SPARE ME YOUR ENVY: Stroke, Cancer, Divorce & Suicide. It details my life involving a stroke at age 10 (a tremor remains), breast cancer at age 45 (double mastectomy), divorce (after 25 years and two sons) and violent suicide (horrifying, heartbreaking and haunting, my son was 23). This all occurred by age 51.
The columns, similar to the approach to the book, lean on dramatic storytelling, rather than didactic narrative. While I offer evidence of the elasticity of the human spirit, I also deliver a message contrary to what many might assume. I believe in the power of surrendering, rather than invoking the posture and battle cry of the warrior. I expose the reality that people are not weak, but they can be fragile. And sometimes they do break. But mending is not a miracle, it’s an incremental and intentional practice.
My writing as Nana X pursues subjects with full transparency, drawing on the positive but also the messy sides of grandparenting. I’m attempting to capture some slices of life…now as a grandparent, fully embracing the journey, as fraught and fulfilling as it may be.
Thank you!
