One Less of Us

Although I was hoping for it to happen all week, it sort of happened organically.

“Ow!” I heard Evaline say through the wall, which made me stop typing.

She came into my office.

“I stepped on a tack. Do you still have that cup of thumbtacks?”

I pointed to my c… Read more...

Good Neighbors

I was just about to sit down and look up the latest political nightmare when I got the text I’d been waiting for.

“Okay. We’re back.”

I threw on my shoes and ran down my steps. As I hit the sidewalk and saw their dusty car sticking halfway out of the garage … Read more...

My Pamphlet

I made a pamphlet.

It’s a trifold brochure that sits on my monitor stand between the paintbrush my art teacher gave me and the ticket stub to a giant human maze me and my daughter conquered in Montana.

On the cover is a picture of Molly, carefree and on a boat.

Inside are list… Read more...

Reason to Interrupt

Thank you, NHS.

We were deep into it; I was talking with my hands, sitting there at our wobbly table on the sidewalk amongst the other wine drinkers at dusk.

Three young women, no more than 20, with hip, baggy clothing and patches of skin showing here and there, approached our table, one of them … Read more...

Anxiety Dreams

Red building on a school campus

I finally got rid of my college anxiety dreams, the ones where I can’t find my class on the first day, or where I lose my schedule and don’t know where to go, or how I failed to realize I enrolled in a class and still had to sit for the final exam…

It was hard to… Read more...

Permission to Speak Freely

White and red bokeh photography

I often say inappropriate things. I can baffle and offend. I confuse people.

My mind skips around. I connect strange dots. It’s a blessing and curse.

To be odd and unexpected.

Still, I speak freely. Less analysis upfront means less stress in conversations and more brain power … Read more...

Repainting Memories

Multicolored abstract painting

When I was in 5th grade, I wore my mom’s clip-on earrings to school.

Actually, they were my gramma’s earrings, that kind of old, decorative jewelry with the plastic jewels where the metal doesn’t really shine.

It wasn’t meant to be a statement. I just kinda … Read more...

Putting People on Stage

I’m not claiming to have all the secrets to raising kids right but if I were to give one piece of advice to parents it would be to build a karaoke stage in your house.

I’m not talking about just going out and buying a karaoke machine; I mean creating a permanent space … Read more...