As humans, it’s a big part of our nature. We can’t help it. Judgement and a need to categorize come naturally – it’s how we make sense of the world. Here’s the downside: as we process, the information gets sifted through us. Our experiences inform our interpretation. The hastier we are in trying to get … Continue reading Roaming in Wyoming →

It’s 4 in the morning. I’m outside in the snow wearing Crocs, looking for dog poop. The wind – which shook the trailer and woke me up at 1:30am – feels arctic, and whistles as it blows through my PJ’s. Elvis happily rolls around in the crunchy remnants of yesterday’s snow as I scan the … Continue reading On the Road Again →

Well, it’s time for another exciting countdown! In a little over two weeks, we’re packing up our lives and heading somewhere new. This time, it’s going to be different. With my recent surgery… inflation… and the fact that we don’t want to be forced into less-than-ideal circumstances if/when our savings run out, we made a … Continue reading New Plans →

I wake up the morning of my oral surgery. It’s still pitch black outside as I boil water for coffee, and let the Trader Joe’s dark roast grounds spill generously into the press pot. When the kettle clicks off, pour it over the grounds, pausing to stir. “Am I nervous enough?” I ask myself, somewhat … Continue reading Pulling Teeth →

“Lia-hf is liahk a box of chock-lats,” a guy I went to high school with used to say, doing an excruciatingly painfully annoying impression from the movie, Forrest Gump. He’d draw it out, mighty proud of himself, and seem to get worse and worse each go round. “You nev-ah know what ya gon-na gee-ht.” He’d … Continue reading Life is… →

Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels.com For decades, I made a colossal mistake. Ok... let's be real, I made quite a few. But this one was up a top-ten biggie: I undervalued the things that have no monetary value but have a huge impact on how I feel, and overvalued the inconsequential things that not … Continue reading Retail Therapy is a Bunch of Crap →

Back in 2014 I received mandatory evacuation orders as the King Fire raged a few miles from my home. I stood at the top of the stairs shaking, wondering, what do I bring? What’s important? At that moment I realized – like fully realized – that all the shit I amassed is just stuff. It … Continue reading Burn it Down →

“Fuck YOU!!!” Immediately, I’m jolted awake. It’s followed by a thud, then a slammed car door. I tap my phone screen, 2:13 am. Like clockwork, the people who live across the street from my mom are at it again. Chad’s awake too. “They’ve been going at it for at least 5 minutes,” he says. Tires … Continue reading Possibility →

I wish you knew what it's like to wake up each morning, peek out the back window and see a meadow dotted with wildflowers edged by a grove of towering pine. This morning the rain’s finally let up, yet little clear drops remain. Hanging out in clusters on the window, suctioned to the glass. Being … Continue reading Another Day →

When do we ever not want something? It’s a natural urge, one that compels us to leave the warm comfort of bed every morning. All good. Except, here’s where it can veer off track. How do know what we truly want, when we don’t even know ourselves? In a world that tells us what we … Continue reading What Do YOU Want? →