Get Rid of the Junk
Sometimes, the act of letting go is the first step towards truly moving forward.
Read MoreThe Big Sit
In January of last year, I wrote about my then-new habit of LovingKIndness meditation. Throughout the tumult that was 2021, I resolved to be gentle to myself through this practice, and I committed to a year of once-daily meditation.
And I did.
Read MoreThe Truth is in the Cards
It’s that magical time of year when mailboxes are stuffed with catalogs and sale postcards. But tucked somewhere in all of that direct mail, I always hope to find a festive holiday note or two. I know they have a terrible reputation, but I honestly love Christmas cards.
Read MoreWhen You Know, You Know
We held hands across the table, talked about the previous week and plans for the following weekend. The din of the front room seemed muted and far away. It was just us, lit by candlelight, waiting for whatever came next, at dinner and in life.
Read MoreThe Bargain
Just as the fog of COVID seemed to be lifting, the headache descended on me like a thunder clap.
It began as a sharp ache at the back of my neck and spread its tendrils up into my head until it was a web of throbbing red light at the center of my skull.
Read MoreFirst Days and Letting Go
My mother wrote letters to my grandmother almost weekly for many years; her perfect handwriting documented the quotidian events raising the four of us in the decades before email and the internet. They were carefully saved, and recently my mom sent one to me, dated September 13, 1977. In it, she writes about the days leading up to my first day of kindergarten.
Read MoreThe UnBucket List
Before the pandemic, Marie Kondo promised we’d find joy in having less clutter in our spaces, and I think that includes our headspace. It’s the last few months before That Birthday, and in tribute to KonMari, I submit to you something new: The UnBucket List, a list of things I vow NOT to do. If I have to face mortality, even in the long view, this list will help me focus on what’s most important, what makes me the happiest, and gives me permission to ignore the rest.
Read MoreThe Way Back Home
In early 2020 when things shut down, my family and I shut down, too. At first, it was just supposed to be a few weeks. No big deal: After Spring Break (our trip was canceled like everything else), we’d be back.
Of course, it didn’t quite work out that way.
Read MoreHolding out for a Hero
Science shows that superheroes really do inspire greatness. A 2016 study led by Rachel White of Hamilton College and Stephanie Carlson of the University of Michigan, titled “The Batman Effect,” shows the power of superheroes to inspire kids. In the study, young children demonstrated increased perseverance skills when asked to imagine themselves as a favorite character.
But as you grow up and move past the comic book superhero stage, who do you consider a hero?
Read MoreLifting the Weight of BMI, For Good
I can’t remember a time in my life when I wasn’t worried about being fat.
I suffered through the indignities of having my BMI measured and announced publicly in gym class and struggling through the Presidential Physical Fitness test twice a year (fuck you, flexed arm hang). I did endless sit-ups in my room in the middle of the night to ensure I would pass. I went on ‘diets’ where I restricted my eating before I was 10. I wrote down everything I ate in my diary.
It is a very boring diary.