I’ve just about isolated the culprit when the door swings open. My fingers move from desperate, primate sorting to smoothing. I smile at my co-worker who’s walked in. She’s not a day over 25. She’s years away from understanding what it’s like to be caught, face awkwardly close to the mirror, confronting the white hairs that have taken root. The light in the office bathroom tells the whole truth. Ever since I stopped dyeing my hair, I’ve been waiting for the whites, the grays, the sad, … [Read more...] about To Dye or Not to Dye: What Happened When I Stopped Dyeing My Hair After 20 Years of Highlights
My Blog
The Story of My Spring, Told Through My Reading List
I follow Anna Quinlen on Facebook. As I’ve mentioned before, she’s one of my all time favorite writers and human beings. She doesn’t post that often but when she does, it’s usually to make reading suggestions, many times to promote other women writers. A day after President Trump announced his intention to take the United States out of the Paris Agreement, she posted, and one of the books she suggested, you’ll find on the list below (Saints for All Occasions). But it was what she said in … [Read more...] about The Story of My Spring, Told Through My Reading List
Listen Up! Avoiding the Pitfalls of Crappy Listening
Recently, I was invited to attend a talk at a friend’s church about how to communicate with your teenager and identify signs of depression. I don’t have teenagers yet, but I’m already panicked about the years to come. I figured, why not start over-analyzing everything now? At the talk, I was surprised to learn much more than how to look for signs of depression in teens. I learned the ins and outs of active listening - what it is and how we can take care of each other better by being better … [Read more...] about Listen Up! Avoiding the Pitfalls of Crappy Listening
Hi friends.
Hey guys - I know I've been MIA. And I wish, wish, wish it was only because I am so busy that I haven't had a second to write. But, my absence here hasn't been a time issue. Our family recently lost a dear friend to cancer, and there really isn’t much that I don’t see through the lens of loss and grief these days. Bottom line, it's been a shitty, shitty spring. I've been writing a lot, but nothing that I'm ready to publish. And, reading a ton. I've also spent many hours sitting still, … [Read more...] about Hi friends.
40 Year Old Seeking Positively Ageless Skin
A few days before my 40th birthday, I walked into Publix and purchased body lotion. But not just any body lotion, Positively Ageless, firming body lotion, clinically shown to provide firmer looking skin. The active ingredient is shiitake mushrooms. It reeks of desperation. I was mostly thinking, if this crap worked, it wouldn’t be $6.99. Yet, I hung onto a glimmer of hope. Maybe it will help, even just a little. I hadn’t thought much about my birthday other than it was a milestone that … [Read more...] about 40 Year Old Seeking Positively Ageless Skin
Meeting, Marching, & Having a Voice
You know when you don't call a friend for awhile, and the longer you wait the harder and harder it gets to pick up the phone? That's how I feel right now. But I'm doing it, I'm writing a blog post, and I'm hitting the publish button. Just because I haven't been here, doesn't mean I haven't been thinking about you. I think about you all the time. Here goes nothing... Recently, I was sitting around a dining room table in the house of a woman I had never met. There were seven other women … [Read more...] about Meeting, Marching, & Having a Voice
My Christmas List
I've been walking around for the last few weeks in complete Christmas denial. Nothing about celebrating feels right to me this year. There are so many things that I want, but none of them can be wrapped and put under a tree. It's a new kind of want that comes from fear, but also a heightened sense of the world around me. I'm still going through the motions of putting up a tree, decorating gingerbread houses, and baking cookies. I'm still trying to give my children a Christmas full of joy. … [Read more...] about My Christmas List
It is certain.
I am operating on 4 hours of sleep. It is cold and rainy outside. I am not in a good place. I picked up our Magic 8 Ball on a whim and asked, "Is it going to be okay?" The reply: It is certain. So, why do I still feel like crap? I'm giving myself one day. One day to wear sweatpants and binge watch tv (Have you seen The Crown!?!?!) and eat chips from the bag and generally feel sad. One day to think all the snarky thoughts, because, I'll be honest, they are flowing … [Read more...] about It is certain.