• the xanax diary
  • about ron
    • about ken
  • awards
    • Mountain Climbing for Beginners
  • the ronaissance
  • my faves
  • second city
  • publication
    • Extraordinary Healers Vol. 7
  • media
  • travel
    • Costa Rica (June 2018)
    • Iceland (March 2020)
Skip to content

ron stempkowski

  • the xanax diary
  • about ron
    • about ken
  • awards
    • Mountain Climbing for Beginners
  • the ronaissance
  • my faves
  • second city
  • publication
    • Extraordinary Healers Vol. 7
  • media
  • travel
    • Costa Rica (June 2018)
    • Iceland (March 2020)

ron stempkowski

love, loss, healing, and humor…in no particular order

  • the xanax diary
  • about ron
    • about ken
  • awards
    • Mountain Climbing for Beginners
  • the ronaissance
  • my faves
  • second city
  • publication
    • Extraordinary Healers Vol. 7
  • media
  • travel
    • Costa Rica (June 2018)
    • Iceland (March 2020)

Tag: favorite

Lost and Found

Lost and Found

Posted on June 1, 2021May 14, 2022 by Ron Stempkowski
Dear Ken, I’ve thought about this day for a long time: what would feel like to have lost you for as long as I had you—just 10 years. How much would it hurt? And what would it mean? Anything? Every... Read More
The Refuge of Fridays

The Refuge of Fridays

Posted on February 22, 2020May 14, 2022 by Ron Stempkowski
I’ve been thinking a lot about Fridays lately; how much I love them. And look forward to them. How they feel like a warm cocoon after a challenging week of work. And how drastically my feelings abou... Read More
January 18: A Decade Later

January 18: A Decade Later

Posted on January 20, 2020May 14, 2022 by Ron Stempkowski
I’m pretty ardent with the attention I pay to my calendar and to my journal (and to my blog, for that matter), marking it with momentous occasions—both good and bad. Ken’s cancer and death were ... Read More
Dear Dad: A Year of Truths

Dear Dad: A Year of Truths

Posted on August 15, 2019May 14, 2022 by Ron Stempkowski
Dear Dad, A year? I still shake my head. How could it be a year since you died? My unstoppable, force-of-nature father. The man who I’m named for. The man who I get my height and my blues eyes from.... Read More
The Warrior Queen

The Warrior Queen

Posted on December 5, 2018May 14, 2022 by Ron Stempkowski
I read a book called “Warrior Queens” in college, and attended an event hosted by the author, Lady Antonia Fraser, who discussed the topics of her book: women who defied history (and odds)... Read More
Home Is Where the Dead Hookers Are

Home Is Where the Dead Hookers Are

Posted on November 3, 2016May 14, 2022 by Ron Stempkowski
  My house never feels more like a home than when it’s brimming with people I love. Recently, my A-List (Retta, Kathy, Alan and Tina) had the opportunity to get together–for the first... Read More
Connecting Purpose to Loss

Connecting Purpose to Loss

Posted on September 21, 2016May 14, 2022 by Ron Stempkowski
Why was I crying as I walked down the street, carrying a salad I’d picked up for lunch? No, not because I’m a moosh bag who sobs to any decently scored coffee commercial around the holida... Read More
The Sanctuary of Sameness

The Sanctuary of Sameness

Posted on June 15, 2016May 14, 2022 by Ron Stempkowski
The first gay bar I ever went to in Chicago was a small but colorful neighborhood bar called Buddie’s. I’d found it wandering down Clark Street while my friend Denise, who had driven us th... Read More
The Rule of Three

The Rule of Three

Posted on March 26, 2015May 14, 2022 by Ron Stempkowski
One day in sixth grade, my classmate Dusty asked, “Ronnie, do you know what the strongest geometric shape is?” Though out of the blue, he seemed pretty confident about this topic–and... Read More
My Awkward Acquaintance

My Awkward Acquaintance

Posted on June 1, 2014May 14, 2022 by Ron Stempkowski
June 1 is crisp. Somehow compact and rigid. It sits right at the promise of summer. It can barely contain its toothy smile in light of all the bounty it will bear. Almost smug. But it can’t help... Read More
  • 1 of 2
  • 1
  • 2
  • Next »
Ron Stempkowski

Ron Stempkowski

I'm an award-winning essayist and audience-focused word ninja living in Chicago. I have a passion for storytelling with words and images/videos.

View Full Profile →

Want more professional content? Follow my Word Ninja blog.

5k Birthday Birthdays Blogging Books camping Chicago Childhood Childhood Memories Dating Decisions Essay Family favorite Feelings Firsts Friends friendship Gratitude Grief Halloween Healing Holiday Humor improv Journaling Ken's Writing Leave of Absence Life loss Love Loving Chicago Memories Memories of Ken Milestones Moving Moving Forward New Normal New Year's Pets Rituals Second City Improv Daze Siblings theronaissance Writing

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

© Ron Stempkowski, ronstempkowski.com and thexanaxdiary.com, 2010-2025. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Ron Stempkowski and ronstempkowski.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Designed By InkHive. © Ron Stempkowski, ronstempkowski.com and thexanaxdiary.com, 2010-2023. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Ron Stempkowski and thexanaxdiary.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

You cannot copy content of this page

 

Loading Comments...