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…

Asleep at the Wheel

Road trips. They sound romantic, adventurous, maybe even a little nostalgic, right? Visions of open highways, curated playlists, questionable gas station snacks... pure Americana. It is a truly Hollywood-tinted, romanticized, and slightly nostalgic view of road trips we have, as Americans. Reality, as it often does, tends to slap a slightly damp, vaguely sticky handprint…

Of Farewell and Forever

This past week held a profound weight in my spirit, a stark and beautiful illustration of life's wild, circular nature. As the ministerial consultant for my congregation, I often stand in the middle of two very different, yet similar roads: the quiet and solemn space of a memorial service, and the vibrant and hopeful celebration…

A Crash Helmet for Our Souls

There’s a video going around on tiktok right now asking “what are you going to do when it happens?” and the IT they’re referring to is when the current president is….. no longer alive.  And while the petty, dramatic part of me wants to answer with “I’m going to dance in the streets and blast “No One Mourns the Wicked” as loud as I can………..there’s another part of me that is deeply uncomfortable with the idea of wishing death on someone - anyone.

Be Bold and Strong, Banish……

When I was a little girl, my mother developed a "secret code" for anyone who might have to pick me up from school instead of her. This was at the height of the "stranger danger" period, and it reassured her to know that there was a plan. The whole idea freaked me out. I was…

The Face in the Mirror

What’s the first thing you do when you get up in the morning? Whatever it is, it’s probably either the same thing, or pretty close to the same thing, every day. We all have our own morning rituals. Maybe you have a cup of coffee before you can do anything. Maybe you hop out of…

Trumpets in the Cemetery

Because of the jobs I’ve had, I’ve lived in some pretty…interesting…. places. I’ve lived walk up apartments in the city, townhouses in the suburbs, basement studios in small towns, in a yurt [which was WAY too close to roughing it for my liking], and once, in an actual house, in the city of Flemington, NJ.…

With a Capital T

When I was a kid, I used to walk a mile each way to the elementary school I attended. I’d walk down Hasler Lane to Spruce St, turn right, go down Spruce, turn left onto Elmwood Ave, walk all the way down Elmwood Ave to Maple Street, where I’d turn right and go three more…

Clearing the Slate?

They say that your skin – your epidermis – completely regenerates itself every 27 or so days, so technically, I'm a different person than I was a month ago at this time. I’ve always found that little tidbit fascinating, and frankly, kinda gross and creepy, in a weirdly cool way. But under my new-every-27 or…