Today marks four weeks since we began my attempt to incorporate routine and structure into my children’s days. I originally began these exercises because after several months of quarantine and “free” time I noticed they were becoming bored, unruly, lazy,…
Glamour, Guts, & Glory
Sometimes being a woman is the worst. I’ve had all sorts of crazy symptoms and complaints over the past few years. First from pregnancy: flabby, streaky skin on my tummy; an unfortunate and uncalled for reduction in my breasts (as…
Our Past Is The Canvas For Our Future
“You shouldn’t envy me. Mostly I live in the past.” –Brandon Stark (Game of Thrones, season 8, episode 4: “The Last of the Starks”) Apologies for always quoting Game of Thrones—the series is littered with profound and poignant one-liners (and…
Preserving My Inner Guide
Salvation sometimes comes in the unlikeliest of places. For me, it’s almost always Josh (and all genres of music), books/TV shows (fantasy and historical fiction are my go-tos right now), cooking/baking, writing, coffee and wine, my husband. Hell, even my…
The Irony Of Time
I’ve often wondered what a midlife crisis would look like—and when it would happen. As a young adult, I pictured an abrupt, bold, seemingly catastrophic event during a specific time in one’s life—somewhere around the 50-year mark—that comes roaring in…
Mental Synchronization (Part 2)
We are now exactly two weeks into my mental synchronization “experiment.” Here are my key takeaways so far: 1) First of all, I do not have the fortitude, aptitude, or patience to be a teacher of young children and I’m…
Narrative Subjectivity
I took an online writing class about two weeks ago and during this time I learned about something called “freewriting,” which essentially means sitting down with a pen and paper and writing—off the top of your head—from a story prompt…
The River That Swallowed My Loneliness
I originally intended this to be a personal essay, but it just wasn’t … flowing. So, I rewrote it into a poem: I hear you racing to my left, swift and strong My quiet, charitable companion Blue-gray waves lapping the…
The Recipe Box
A childhood memory took me on a surprising journey this morning … It sits in the center of the table, surrounded by sprinklings of flour, sugar, nuts, and cocoa. A thin coating of flour dusts its top. The mustard-yellow lid…
Where Are You, Bedtime?
You know what’s the best thing ever? Bedtime. When the crazies who have torn through every room in your house like a hurtling, out-of-control tornado slumber into dream land and the house falls silent and still. Oh yeah, I start…