The Gift

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Every year I make a calendar full of family photos each month. Pictures from last February document a dinner out with friends, donuts sampling all over town, an overnight sleepover with a favorite family at the Field Museum. Living life without a second thought. When I flipped the month over to March, the photos show a sharp shift in content: No friends, no sleepovers, nothing but us at home.

As I turned the calendar, I thought about how I might commemorate this past year. I don't want to forget it, because it's an important time in our lives, but obviously, it's not an experience I ever hope to repeat.

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I’m Fine and Other Half-Truths of Where I am Now

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One day during a miserable time in my life, I was wandering around a neighborhood store when I saw a small, gray stone with the word Truth painted on it. I picked it up. The oval fit perfectly in my palm, and something shifted in me. I realized I’d been lying to myself, lying to those closest to me, just to get through each day.

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A New Resolve

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Last year I wrote about seasons of resolutions, which is my approach to adopting new habits a few months at a time in the New Year. Each quarter is an opportunity to grow and learn, and this process keeps me motivated throughout the year. I usually approach it with a spirit of renewal and change, with clarity and resolve.

This year, resolve has new meaning.

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A Nice Love Story

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When I did the post-first-date phone debrief with my sister, I confessed: He might be too nice for me. I am not that nice, what if I am terrible and break the heart of this nice man?

She admonished: You will go on at least three dates, and you will have fun. You deserve someone who is nice, who is nice to you.

So I did, and I did, and he was, and he is.

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Resolve Beyond January

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Welcome to the New Year! Time to get off the couch and back to the real world where you are expected to wear pants and function in society once again.  This year I’m setting goals through seasonal themes to keep me motivated beyond the New Year’s burst of enthusiasm. This structure offers a chance to check in throughout the year, rather than going out in a blaze of glory when Oreo launches a new flavor in January. (Side note: Chocolate marshmallow? That hardly seems fair.) 

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The (Not Always) Happiest Time of the Year

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love Christmas, every part. Cookies and food and seasonal music, yes, please. I make menus and gift lists, and I obsess about all the details. The kids and I count down to Santa’s visit, and the Elf on the Shelf (his name is Bubbles) is in full effect every night.

This essay should be right up my tinsel-laden alley.

But not this year. 

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The Best Seat in the House

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Friday nights have long been associated with good times: Happy Hours, date nights, movie premieres. Through the years I’ve looked forward to events like those, but lately, my Fridays are more about popcorn and pajamas than pomp and circumstance.

In our home, Friday nights are reserved for movies with my boys, and it’s my favorite thing.

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