The Only Child Diaries Podcast
Not just for only children! Info, stories and life experiences for anyone who feels like they didn't get the How-To brochure on life! Host Tracy Wallace, who has been a business owner, a successful fundraiser, a stand-up comedian, a caregiver and an animal lover, shares stories from the front lines of adulting to help others in this journey called life. She does this while finding the humor in the all situations.
Episodes
What do you hold onto when the week unravels—when a hospital discharge turns into a maze of home care, a storm flattens your Halloween decorations, and the cat needs an ER visit at 1 a.m.? I walk through a stretch of days where everything asked for attention at once and explain how I kept moving by choosing a glass half-full approach.
We start with my husband’s recovery plan: two bulging discs, a broken rib...
A cascade of pain, four falls, and a fractured rib turned a quiet week into a high-stakes navigation of hospital systems, protocols, and hard choices. We walk you through the unvarnished reality of being a caregiver when the lights of the ambulance meet the glow of Halloween decorations, the dog won’t stop barking, and the chart misses the most important details. From the ER intake to a five-day stay that demanded con...
The week started with hope—physical therapy was finally helping my husband to build strength and balance—then it swerved into a nerve flare that turned my husband into a bedridden dependent partner that made me worry and exhausted at the same time. Caregiving isn’t glamorous; it’s small adjustments repeated with patience: finding a position that eases pain, measuring the day by steps, and choosing what gets dropped wh...
Have you ever broken a promise to yourself for something that unexpectedly connected you to someone you've lost? That's exactly what happened when I subscribed to The New York Times after vowing never to accumulate publications again.
When we moved from our apartment a few years ago, we discovered mountains of magazines and newspaper clippings tucked away in closets and corners—evidence of my fundra...
Have you ever had a revelation when someone you've known for years suddenly reveals themselves to be completely different from who you thought they were? Maybe you suddenly started spending a LOT of time with them and finally got to really KNOW them? That somewhat jarring disconnect between perception and reality forms the heart of this episode's exploration into the complicated layers of our closest relati...
The choice to drive drunk can destroy lives in an instant. On September 7, 2017, my husband Bill and I were enjoying a vacation in Las Vegas when a drunk driver slammed into our rental car at approximately 80 miles per hour. The impact was so violent that I genuinely believed I wouldn't survive. Our world transformed in that moment—from carefree vacation to a 20-month nightmare of physical recovery, emotional tra...
This week I'm celebrating three years of the Only Child Diaries podcast, reflecting on the journey and expressing gratitude to listeners across 58 countries worldwide. The podcast has grown into a global community where experiences of being an only child are shared with humor and insight.
• Upcoming interview with Leslie Berlin, a fellow only child with a different background including divorced parents, ...
Yeah, you get to a certain age, and you think, okay, there are some things I can do well....or at least good enough. Discovering you've been watering trees wrong your entire life is not something I expected to learn about myself after hiring an arborist to help me with our aging tangerine tree. A beloved 50-year-old tangerine tree planted by my father back when I was a teenager. But I did learn something new a...
If you're a regular listener you already know I've talked a lot about grief. It gets to be a bigger part of life as you go along.
Saying goodbye isn't a single moment but a journey that unfolds in unexpected layers over time. After keeping my horse Dallas's stall for over a year following his sudden passing, I 'm finally facing the last tie with the barn - giving up his stall. This wasn&apo...
Homeownership can feel like navigating uncharted waters without a compass. That sinking feeling when you hear an unfamiliar noise in your house? It happened to me recently, and what followed was both educational and let's face it, expensive.
When I moved into my parents' home, I quickly discovered that years of deferred maintenance meant something broke literally every day. It became a running jok...
Tracy celebrates three years of podcasting with the Only Child Diaries, now reaching listeners in 54 countries and 593 cities worldwide. She shares personal updates including her recovery from a recent fall, exciting news about her first podcast interview appearance, and her early preparations for Halloween decorations.
• Recovery update from last week's fall with painful but healing rib injuries
• C...
Ever wonder what happens when you try to support someone through a cremation ceremony and end up sprawled across cemetery steps instead? Life has a way of mixing profound moments with unexpected comedy.
Death remains one of our most challenging transitions – something many of us approach with hesitation, especially when supporting loved ones through the process. After losing my friend Neliya (who began as my ...
Have you ever wondered what will happen to all your possessions when you're gone? After the recent loss of a friend, I found myself contemplating the mountain of stuff we accumulate throughout our lives and the burden it places on those left behind to sort through it all.
In this week's personal exploration, I introduce the concept of "Swedish Death Cleaning" – a practice with an unfortuna...
What if the secret to happiness isn't complicated at all, but simply requires us to choose joy daily? After losing someone who was like a second mother to me, I've been reflecting deeply on how we navigate life's challenges while still maintaining our sense of purpose and happiness.
June has mysteriously become a month of pivotal moments in my life - when pets joined our family, jobs began and ...
Sometimes the bravest thing we can do is step back and breathe. After releasing episodes consistently for almost three full years, I found myself at a crossroads when Neliya – my late friend Gina's mother and someone who had become like a second mom to me – entered the hospital with sudden liver failure.
The physical and emotional toll of hospital visits, coupled with the ordinary responsibilities of lif...
Facing overwhelming challenges requires intentional self-care and perspective. This episode explores personal struggles with a broken washer, community concerns about ICE raids, and a family friend's health crisis, while offering reminders about maintaining healthy habits during difficult times.
• Broken washing machine leads to laundromat visits and unexpected complications with replacement
• Social...
Amidst sensationalized headlines and political rhetoric claiming Los Angeles is "burning," I'm pulling back the curtain to reveal what's actually happening on the ground in my city. Having spent over two decades working in the heart of downtown LA, I offer perspective that goes beyond the dramatic footage you've seen on the news.
Let me take you on a journey through LA's complex ...
Taking care of yourself is vital to both physical and mental health, yet it's often neglected during busy periods. After working 50-hour weeks for a major fundraising event, I share my experience with post-event exhaustion and the importance of intentional recovery.
• The challenges of being an overachiever/perfectionist when planning events
• How intense work periods cause basic self-care and househ...
Coming off a lot of work, putting on a fundraising event, this week I'm reflecting on the importance of teamwork. I'm exploring how communication, relationship-building, and humor create stronger workplace connections and better outcomes despite the challenges faced by only children.
• Working on a major fundraising event t
• Recognizing that no single person, regardless of work ethic or perfect...
Summer has officially arrived with Memorial Day weekend, bringing with it a mix of challenges and simple joys in Southern California's unpredictable weather patterns.
• Constantly postponing car washing due to intermittent rain cycles
• Questioning how people working outside the home manage to keep up with daily tasks
• Using delivery services for groceries and meals to save time
• Marveling ...
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