UNBECOMING

“Southerners love a good tale. They are born reciters, great memory retainers, diary keepers, letter exchangers . . . great talkers.” ― E...

“I’m going to practice saying yes more this year.” “SHUT UP!” “Oy! That’s a TERRIBLE idea.” These were the heartfelt responses from my tr...

“Until a lion learns how to write, every story will glorify the hunter.” -African Proverb I begin every semester by teaching narrative wr...

“What we focus on expands.” -Danielle LaPorte We are surrounded by talk of resolutions this time of year. Crisp, new calendars are bright...

“It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.” -E.E. Cummings “Accepting oneself does not preclude an attempt to become bet...

As 2017 comes to a close, I have spent hours in reflection. It has been a big year in many ways. I have laughed, cried, lost, hurt, loved...

Dear Friends, Tis the season...final grades are due. I had no time to formulate my thoughts this week, but I did listen, read and collect...

I am a word person. How and why we use them matters to me. They weigh on my heart and mind. I can retrace my past through phases of attac...

“I like to walk around with bare feet and I don't like to comb my hair.” ― Beyoncé Knowles “Hair girl is booked. Guess I will go as myse...

Let it be pink. Let it be pink. Let it be pink. I had taken a silly Facebook quiz - “The Left or Right Brain Test.” Intentionally, I have...

The threat of rain darkened the November sky. A light breeze sent golden leaves floating to the concrete patio below. Seated across from ...

I want to be famous to shuffling men who smile while crossing streets, sticky children in grocery lines, famous as the one who smiled ...

Of this one thing I am quite certain. Every person needs a poet in her life, preferably two or three. Poets take time to love beauty. The...

A few weeks ago, I quit in the middle of a CrossFit workout. “So, you stopped exercising? What’s the big deal?” To outsiders, this does n...

She cried out home. I need me some home. Oh, I need some home. -Johnnyswim, “Home” Do you remember when we were kids and home base was ...

Overscheduling and trying to do it all disconnect us from our true selves. We bury our inner voice so deep in minutiae and everyday tasks th

And I want to tell her to do more than just believe it, but to enjoy it! That changing your mind is one of the best ways of finding out w...

I have been cheating on my therapist. It has been going on for some time now - nearly a month. Sometimes it happens when I am sitting alone

Last week, I received my five year pin at work. Think academic flair or bling. It is a tiny pin with the name of the college, a tree and ...

I dreaded it for weeks. Calling it a “celebration of life” did not make it seem less like a funeral. I was battling the finality of Mom’s...