Photo by Lee 琴 on Unsplash What do you think of when you hear the words “my first time”? I expect some people will flash back to that very first time they had consensual sex. Some may be propelled back in time to the first time they were assaulted. Perhaps others who are acquainted with … Continue reading My First Time
Anxiety
Canned Peas
Photo by Claudio Schwarz on Unsplash In the introduction to my memoir, resilient, I talk about how there’s so often a story behind what people like or don’t like, whether it’s food or colors or flowers or weather or locations or words. And that’s the thing, really… we all have these stories that make up … Continue reading Canned Peas
Dear Society (or why I wrote my memoir)
Photo by Florian Klauer on Unsplash Chanel Miller wrote the words below in her memoir, Know My Name, about societal expectations that we only focus on the positive, that we only tell the “happy” parts of our stories and shy away from anything unpleasant or uncomfortable. Anything that isn’t uplifting, heartening, inspiring. Anything that makes … Continue reading Dear Society (or why I wrote my memoir)
Giving Life
Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash Years ago, before I started therapy and before I started writing for others, I made a decision. I had a parenting moment which demonstrated to me that my life of “being fine” was a lie, and—most importantly—that I wasn’t going to be the only person hurt by that lie. … Continue reading Giving Life
Where Mine End and Yours Begin
Photo by Raimond Klavins on Unsplash There’s a question I’ve wrestled with since some of my earliest memories, though I can’t pinpoint exactly the first time it rose in my mind. I know it was before I was ten because that was the year I wrote a novella with this question at the heart of … Continue reading Where Mine End and Yours Begin
Heads or Tails?
Photo by Josh Appel on Unsplash When you flip a coin for something, you choose heads or you choose tails, but it’s still the same coin flipping. One coin, two sides. But which side you choose can make all the difference. Maybe you’re flipping to decide if you’re having pizza or pancakes for dinner, or … Continue reading Heads or Tails?
All the beautiful, imperfect things
Photo by Sheldon Liu on Unsplash I love creating. Of course, not all creative talents are created equally—at least not for me. Most of mine was diverted into writing, though I still enjoy engaging in other artistic pursuits from time to time. One such pursuit is drawing. Every so often since I was young, I’ve felt a deep … Continue reading All the beautiful, imperfect things
We are the Storm
Photo by Breno Machado on Unsplash If I had to label the way I engage in the writing process, I would say that I'm an intuitive writer. It’s as if I’m listening to a friend tell me a story about their life and I'm simply here to transcribe their words. I also follow my gut regarding which project … Continue reading We are the Storm
What it would have been like…
Photo by lauren lulu taylor on Unsplash My oldest daughter, Marie, recently had a playdate with two girls from the neighborhood—Layla, who is about two years older than Marie, and Caroline, who is about a year older. It was the first real playdate my extroverted and ultrasocial daughter had ever hosted at our house (and … Continue reading What it would have been like…
Trashy
Last month, I finally did something that I’ve been thinking about way longer than I’ve ever admitted aloud. In fact, I was thinking about it decades ago, when I was still a pre-teen and had no idea how I would do it. And once I finally decided to do it, I was incredibly nervous. I … Continue reading Trashy
