There is an expensive lesson that life offers, and I wish I’d had the currency to afford it sooner. It’s this: it is a profound waste of your finite time, energy, and spirit to court the approval of people who only value your utility. For most of my life, I have existed on the periphery.…
Bombs, Bibles, and My Closet [Not that Closet]
So, the Middle East is getting spicy again, huh? World War 3 anyone? I mean seriously, can we please knock it off with the unprecedented times? I'd be willing to bet we're all some level of anxious about the Israel/Iran/US/Whoever-decides-to-start-lobbing-bombs war that's happening right now. For some of us who grew up in evangelical Christianity…
The Slow Way Home
Confession time: my weekend trip to see my sister in NYC involved a distinct lack of geographical prowess on my part. I took the highway, as one does, a rainy four-hour slog punctuated by a lovely phone call with a friend. But somewhere in the nebulous land of NJ just outside the city, my focus…
And the Preacher Said, “Amen.”
Every year, come late May, I get this… twitch. It’s an undeniable, deep-seated urge to purge. Suddenly, my closets look like they’re staging an intervention, the basement is giving me side-eye, and I’m eyeing that dusty box of “sentimental” (read: questionable) belongings with the cold calculation of a seasoned decluttering ninja. For years, I just…
The Incredible Un-Forever
Why "the end" isn't a dirty word...
The Glorious Art of Napping in a Dumpster Fire
Right? Just… right? If you’ve recently found yourself staring blankly at your phone, possibly wondering if you accidentally subscribed to a 'Daily Dose of Global Despair' newsletter you don’t remember signing up for, feeling like you’ve run an emotional marathon sponsored by existential dread… hello, kindred spirit. Welcome. We have stale virtual coffee and collectively…
More Than Stage Fright
TW: This post references anxiety/mental health and eating disorders [specifically not eating] On November 5, 2017, I took my last bow on the CRPAC stage and hung up my acting career. I cited several reasons for this retirement – burnout being the biggest, along with age, health concerns, and my desire for a private, personal…
13 Days. #Lifechange
My alarm clock went off at 6:45 this morning, and I cried. I’m not kidding. “Not Throwing Away My Shot” started to play on my phone, my brain turned on, my eyes opened, and I literally burst into tears. I’m officially “sobbing when my alarm goes off in the morning” tired. And it’s not without…
Just STOP.
STOP. I just want to STOP. Stop running around. Stop working so hard. Stop being perpetually behind. Stop being so anxious. Stop worrying. Stop caring so much. Stop. JUST STOP. I want the madness of the world to just STOP. Stop the shootings. Stop the racism. Stop the oppression. Stop the violence. Stop the sexism.…
When you’ve Come From Away
It’s that time of year again. The most difficult week of the year for me. The week when the very date on the calendar is enough to make me anxious. Smells set me into flashbacks. Loud noises make me cringe. Planes overhead make my heart skip a beat. It’s the week of 9/11. In my…
VoyagersHeart 