“This Isn’t The Story I Wanted”
“I didn’t want to go online to meet someone.” A friend said to me once. I could see hurt and sadness in her eyes. When everyone else seems to naturally “bump into” their soulmate, it feels awful to have to work at it. It’s like you’re that one sock that comes out of the drier without a match. “This wasn’t the plan.” A former student said to me, when the job she’d counted on, fell through. We often don’t know how much we’ve invested of ourselves into our plans, until they fall a part. Especially when those plans have to [...]
Three Fantastic Reads For the New Year
What do you do, when things change? As I’ve shared before, change is not my sweet spot. As much as I want adventure and new experiences, every fiber of my being calls out for routine. It longs for the status quo. Even change I want, can be a challenge. That is why, last week, when Tony and I stayed home for the holidays—for the first time ever—it was hard to settle. For a few days following Christmas, it took almost as much effort to rest as it would have to work. Sometimes, slowing down feels more difficult than speeding up. [...]
Instead of Setting New Year’s Resolutions, Start Here
About eight months ago, we all began looking forward to 2021. About two months ago, a few crazy people on my social media feed started talking about their New Year’s resolutions. Only, now we’re a few days into 2021, and things aren’t looking that much different from 2020 yet. The pandemic isn’t over. Many of our same struggles from last year remain. And we’re still grappling with a world that looks so much different from how it did a year ago. With a new year, many of us want to begin moving toward a new life, only this hard [...]
Looking Back: What I Learned in 2020
For all of us, 2020 will go down as the year of COVID. Memories of people stocking up on toilet paper, empty shelves at the grocery store, and masks becoming a regular necessity, are now forever a part of our story. The pandemic has been the overarching atmosphere in which we’ve seen people band together and fall a part over issues such as racism, health care, politics, conspiracy theories, and even restrictions over COVID itself. The pandemic has been the overarching atmosphere in which we’ve seen people band together and fall a part... Yet in the midst of all the [...]
When Christmas Carols Sound Sad (& What to do With All Our Feelings this Week)
One night recently, Tony and I were on our way home from doing—what else—holiday errands. The sky outside was dark. A Christmas carol that is one of our favorites was playing on the radio. And about halfway through the song, Tony said, “For some reason, this song sounds sad this year.” It’s amazing how much of our own experiences we bring to music, or any type of art for that matter. But when Tony said these words I had to agree. In years past, this particular song has sounded as triumphant to me as Easter morning. As hopeful as kids [...]
Three of My Favorite Reads From 2020 & Why Not to Be Hard on Yourself
Ever feel like you’re not reading enough? Or, if it’s not reading, perhaps you feel like you’re not listening to educational podcasts, exercising, or cleaning your kitchen floor. For some reason, there are random things in my life I always feel I should be doing more often. And I have a feeling I’m not alone. We all have things we feel guilty about not doing. Or at least, we feel guilty for not doing them enough. Only, not reading more is not usually a problem for me. I am the type of person who could be accidentally locked in a [...]
