What is more terrifying for a people pleaser than stopping and not letting disrespect stand. Not letting slights roll off your shoulder or burrow into your brain. Just acknowledging within yourself that you're enough until the time comes. Finally standing up and saying no more. No more. No
Someone once said to me that I don't want to be happy. I can understand why, but that couldn't be farther from the truth. I act like what I want is simple, but really my wishlist could fill the ocean. Happiness is on it but I
Fall in the midwest means many things, apple picking, leaves falling and school buses own the roads once more. I am grateful for the rain and the easing of the summer heat into lightly frosty mornings where you can see the steam coming off your coffee mug when the pup
I feel for those who meet me at this moment in time. Particularly for individuals attempting to begin or maintain a sincere relationship with my children. You are truly brave, arrogant or just have a bumpy path ahead. They are my world but rightfully are looking to escape the hedgerow.
There's no way to describe the joy I felt a week ago when I stood on a corner of a busy Ohio street and held the handmade sign out for passebys to see. An estimated 1000 protesters showed up in a very conservative district to show the biggest
For my education, and most teens in the US during the 90s, it required a few years of French (or Spanish, German or Latin) which has served me well in life. I travelled during college and got to speak a sentence or two. I call that success. It has also
I've never felt as deeply about music as I have listening to acoustic pluckings of Mr. David Gilmour. Roughly 20 years post-recording, I stumbled onto the title track to Pink Floyds' 1975 release while listening to local classic rock stations in the late '80s and building
So... Book clubs. Do we automatically have to join at 45 or can we opt out? One thing I can appreciate is a secular gathering of adults who talk about current events or topics other than imaginary friends. This kind of bonding ritual or modern Socratic learning is worthwhile and
Sitting on a tv set with only a towel or blanket to cover you and you realize you have no idea what your lines are or the storyline. You're the lead and you've been prepping all day to be in this moment and you've
In all fairness, it is REEEEAAAAALLLYY past time for my fellow white folks to deal with our family issues. I mean, we've always been a group of people who are predisposed to destroying civilization and raping cultures. And we're absolutely witless enough to take down ourselves
There's nothing wrong with taking a moment to rest. Science tells us that energy can be built, stored, converted and consumed. We're all biological machines that can wear down over time, ask your cardiologist about how many beats you get in a lifetime. But getting back
Don't do it. DON'T YOU SING IT! You DO NOT feel fine. Or if you do, why aren't you sharing whatever is making you feel fine. When you're swimming through a septic system looking for the ladder, first WHY ARE YOU SWIMMING
It's hard when you try and try to keep peace and calm, but all that surrounds you is chaos and destruction. Sweat and tears, work and more work. You can't hold on to joy , you can't make it happen. You can choose it, but
The other night I had a very good dream. It wasn't that the dream was all that impactful or long, but the memory of the dream is soothing. I should probably explain something interesting. I tend to have full feature length dreams fairly often, meaning about once a
Yes, I said it. And I'm happy now. I hope you're happy, my friend. I happened to be in Toronto this past summer on a short getaway and had a free night. One ticket was left, well one I saw open anyway, so I snagged it.
Remember I said that I'd get back to my son's chronic illness... Get ready for the best and LEAST sexy parenting post you've ever read. Also, if you've never heard this Paramore song, go download it now. You're welcome. It&
Not my favorite Madonna song, but Like a Prayer as a title for this post is a crucifix too hot for this atheist to hold. So... Wine... There's a great wide gaping chasm of darkness and shit coming our way in the next 4 years that totally fucks
A little cliché, I know. I always felt for the Chicks, even if country isn't my preferred genre, I did very much appreciate the struggle they had with losing their audience with lyrics like "shut up and sing" resonating deeply as a blue dot in a
So very much... There's so much electricity streaming through my heart, my lungs, my stomach , my brain... Peak anxiety right now. This is so very bad. I feel a real need to consider leaving this place. A hermit's life maybe. I'm really getting why
Note to friend: if you're in a good place right now, maybe save this one for another time. - N It takes a LOT of energy to keep a positive attitude on the outside when you feel like a sine wave on the inside. Moms hear this and
My experience voting for our first woman president starts in 2016 and swiftly jumps to 2024. Hillary wasn't my first choice, I'll never apologize for that. I respect her much more now, but I never forgave her for the 2007 primaries where she spent a lot
WARNING: This post contains patient voice discussion of cancer and details on medical treatments. The patient is not a medical professional and this is not medical advice. Make sure you check with your doctor on your own treatment. This year has been challenging on many levels. It started with change
Perhaps a little more understanding of formative experiences will help you with the puzzled look on your face. You know, figuring out why some of this babble strikes so close to home. Why you, no matter where you are, have decided to continue reading the musings of a proto typical
On a more personal note, we are again at Day 0 of "Days Without A School Shooting" in the US. I have many, many thoughts on the latest murders in Tennessee . First, my youngest is the same grade as the Sandy Hook victims. This means that her entire