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When I was 14…
I was 14, fresh into ninth grade, and already in my second identity crisis. We’d moved from Washington to California right after elementary school, so at 11, I got the double-whammy of being the new kid and hitting puberty at the same time. Truly living the dream. In California, I was the girl from Washington,…
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In search of Hope.
I’m feeling extraordinarily vulnerable. Scared. Worried. Anxious. Unmoored. When I first realized there was no safety net out in the universe, my world came crashing down around me. As a child—and well into young adulthood—I depended on that safety net. I was taught to believe that angels surrounded us at all times, that they were…
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The Reason, the Season, and the WTF: On Relationships and Closure
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about past relationships. Some of them? I miss with my whole entire heart—the kind of miss where random songs feel like emotional landmines. Others? I barely remember their last names. A few still leave me confused—why they ended, how they ended, and why closure never showed up like a…
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Let’s talk a little bit about grief and what makes us sad.
Usually, I’m a smartass. My Nana used to call me a “smarty-pants,” and I’ve been labeled a wiseacre more times than I can count. Sarcasm is kind of my love language. But tonight? Yeah, no. None of that’s landing. Tonight I feel grief. Sadness. Shame. Frustration. Impatience. I want instant gratification and answers and maybe…
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Why don’t we allow our kids to choose their faith?
I know this might hit hard for some folks, and I understand that it might stir up some anger or defensiveness. But I want to ask this with sincerity and compassion, because I genuinely think it’s an important conversation that deserves space. Why do we indoctrinate children into religions? I fully recognize this is a…
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No Chicken, No Olives, No Peace: My Quirky, Reluctant Journey into the Mediterranean-ish Way of Eating
Lately, I’ve been deep in the weird little rabbit hole of weight-loss influencers—people sipping tiny kale smoothies, filming themselves from flattering overhead angles, and declaring victory thanks to GLP-1s, intermittent fasting, and calorie deficits. You’d think they’d cracked some kind of metabolic Da Vinci Code. But here’s what I’m actually noticing: they’re not changing what…
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Reasons I Will Absolutely, Unequivocally NOT Swim in the Ocean
I was having this conversation about the ocean, and swimming, and so the more I thought about the more anxious I became. This is dedicated to a dear, sweet friend of mine who lives on a big beautiful sailboat, ⛵️on the ocean, sailing around the world, where she gleefully swims and frolics in the ocean.…
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Yes – I’m looking at you Roman Catholic Church.
RANT MODE: ENGAGED. FULL STEAM AHEAD. Yes – I’m looking at you Roman Catholic Church. 😡 Let’s talk about this absolute dumpster fire of a headline that made me throw my phone across the room, pick it back up, and scream into the void: “Catholic Church to Excommunicate Priests for Following Mandatory Reporting Laws.” https://www.newsweek.com/catholic-church-excommunicate-priests-following-new-us-state-law-2069039…
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One More Time, Universe—Make Me Laugh ’Til I Wheeze
Let me just start by saying this past year has been… well… emotionally speaking, like being stuck in a Target parking lot during a hailstorm while holding a melting ice cream cone and questioning all your life choices. We’re talking twelve whole months of being shadowed by what I can only describe as a sentient…