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)
Child Abuse
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
Luxury or Right?
Photo by Tingey Injury Law Firm on Unsplash Recently, I’ve been focused heavily on my forthcoming memoir, resilient. As is the case any time you are writing about personal experiences, I’ve had to relive many periods in my life in order to write them in such a way that the reader is right there with … Continue reading Luxury or Right?
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
(Emotional) DOMS
Photo by Mario Azzi on Unsplash Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness—or DOMS—happens when you stress a muscle beyond its normal usage and it results in muscle soreness after a period of rest, most commonly the next day. This could happen if you’re out hiking or biking when it’s been a while, or maybe from that first … Continue reading (Emotional) DOMS
More Than A Name
Photo by Neil Su on Unsplash “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” William Shakespeare You’re likely familiar with the line above from Romeo and Juliet, spoken by Romeo about the fact that Juliet is a Capulet, his family’s sworn enemy. His words speak … Continue reading More Than A Name
