Belief is a funny thing. We cling to it. Put our faith in it. Use it to define our day to day – to make sense of our world. What we believe is so intrinsically linked to who we ARE that there’s often no separating the two. Belief defines us. It governs how we see…
The Strange and Familiar
Isn't it funny how something that was once so familiar can eventually feel so foreign that it is just...strange? I'm writing this piece from a public computer in our town's public library -- a place that still feels quite foreign to me. It shouldn't, but it does. I practically grew up in my hometown library,…
Still, I Stand
Six years ago, I reached my breaking point, grew a backbone, and left the strict, completely unhealthy religious sect I'd grown up in. It was the most terrifying, liberating thing I've ever and will ever do. Today, it feels like a lifetime ago, a distant memory I can look back on with pride. Six years…
Taking Stock of What I Have and What I Haven’t…
Taking stock of what I have and what I haven't What do I find? The things I got will keep me satisfied Checking up on what I have and what I haven't What do I find? A healthy balance on the credit side... It's that time of year when I find myself taking stock of…
An Earthquake of Normal Proportions
Seismic shifts can sneak up on you. We can’t predict earthquakes. Scientists try, but when the earth decides to shift beneath us, there’s no warning. It just happens. Back in 2011, a few months after I left the Army, a rare earthquake struck the east coast. I was sitting in Maureen’s basement with Duffy,…
The Summer of the Scary
Sometimes, I giggle when I’m nervous. It’s a coping mechanism. I don’t giggle when I’m frightened. When I’m frightened, I cry. But when I’m nervous, in that “I really want to do this, but I don’t know what’s going to happen, and I’m excited, but a little scared, and I’m going to try, but holy…
The Courage of Imperfection
It’s no secret that I have issues with perfectionism. In fact, it’s become something of a running joke among my friends that I have a touch of “CDO” [because of course, the letters need to be in alphabetical order]. And it’s true. I laugh along with them, but it really has been something I’ve…
Coup De’Shoe
Shoes, of all things, have been sort of a 'thing' for me over the past year. It started when I walked into the UU church in Boiling Springs, and the pastor there was wearing completely impractical, gorgeous, bright shoes with her robe. Those shoes...looked like rebellion. They made me grin a gleefully naughty grin. They…
Riding in Style
This time 5 years ago, my only means of transportation was a bicycle. Yes. A bicycle. Yes, it was pretty funny watching me wobble down the streets of Carlisle on it. No, I never actually got very good at riding it, but I managed to get from point A to point B. I didn’t have…
Keep the Home Fires Burning…But Not Literally
Most people rent their first “grown up apartment” when they are in their early 20’s – after college, once they’re on their own. Me? It took me a little longer. I rented my first “grown up apartment” on January 5, 2012, when I was 32 years old. Until that point, I’d lived in a parsonage…
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