UNBECOMING

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....

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...

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...

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...

One of my best friends and favorite people in college was Terri. Her smile and positive attitude were absolutely infectious. Whether we...

“These people who have lost someone look naked because they think themselves invisible.” ― Joan Didion, The Year of Magical Thinking I...

And when it's over, it's over. Last week, I told a few of my best friends that I had decided everything was going to be okay. Mom was...

"I am not afraid of storms for I am learning how to sail my ship." -Louisa May Alcott I went on a walk with a close family friend last...

I am a writing teacher. Words are the tool of my trade. I help students learn how to transform their thoughts into coherent pieces of...

I decided to pull the emergency brakes and call a halt for the summer. My mind replayed the image of a cartoon where characters use a...

“Where is your dad?” My kids were in a trance staring at the television. I just finished cleaning up after feeding everyone dinner. My...

I have 401 unread text messages on my phone. I never notice that number. Occasionally, someone will glance at my phone and see it. They...

Last week, we had a scale at our CrossFit gym. We were filling sandbags and needed exact weights. It did not take long for the scale to...

I don’t ever speak to my high school friends, rarely converse with my college friends and seldom talk with my New York City or Colorado...

My dad used to say, “If one person calls you a jackass you can ignore him. If three people call you a jackass, you should find a saddle.”...