From even before we are born, we are told stories. Maybe they're bedtime stories. Maybe they're daytime stories. Maybe they're stories told to us before a nap. But they're there. It's long been debunked that we humans are born as a "clean slate," without context, completely free to be molded by our environment. To say … Continue reading Stories abound
Category: emotions
Coping through COVID
Every day seems like a new opportunity to observe, rework, and rewire the workings of my mind. When there is so much changing and the change doesn't seem to quit, it can feel like a daily attack to my human brain that likes to predict everything. "Taking things day by day" hits a little too … Continue reading Coping through COVID
Plan A is Plan A
In a one-on-one session with a student today, these literal words came out of my mouth: "Bear with me with biology; it's been 20 years since I've had this class." (For the record, I teach ESOL but a student came to me for language help with her bio class.) I became a teacher long before … Continue reading Plan A is Plan A
Snap out of it
The world is at a fever pitch right now. Everything is heightened, stressed, tenuous, uncertain. Almost anything could be the straw that broke the camel's back, as it were. Everyday I resist the urge to actively look for said straw. It's tempting to fall into a feeling of hopelessness and live just for today. I've … Continue reading Snap out of it
On the edge of thirty-five
There's been a lot that's come up in recent months that I haven't expected to address right now. And lots that I have expected. On the surface, I will be reaching "advanced maternal age" when I turn 35 in April 2021, notwithstanding the fact that I don't have children over whom to be maternal. They … Continue reading On the edge of thirty-five
Routines are hidden self-care
I have always thrived on routines. Though I held them with disdain as a child I know that children thrive on routines. It feels safe and comfortable to know what's coming next in the day. The feeling of safety allows you to be more present in the current moment. That said, shifting to a work-from-home … Continue reading Routines are hidden self-care
How the prosperity gospel ruined my peace, and other stories | [Unpublished post from 2015].
I'm sharing this private unpublished post in honor of National Infertility Awareness Week. To all the people who are sick of society's and the collective church's bullshit about conceiving a child and what constitutes a family. When I'm in crisis, I write. A lot. As a colleague says when there's nothing else to say: words, … Continue reading How the prosperity gospel ruined my peace, and other stories | [Unpublished post from 2015].
The journey to delighting in boredom
By training in...boredom, we train in accepting things as they are. This helps us wean ourselves from the habit of closing down into our soothing world of familiar, imputed meanings.Pema Chodron, Welcoming the Unwelcome I used to be terrified of being bored. As a teenager in high school who lived life at 90 miles an … Continue reading The journey to delighting in boredom
Lullabies and aromatherapy
The whir of the sewing machine has been a lullaby and the steam from the hot iron has been aromatherapy. For the last few days of this self-quarantine I've been holed up in my sewing room. It's a room I've recently adorned with new paint (a beautiful airy light blue.. think of a salty breeze) … Continue reading Lullabies and aromatherapy
I could feel this coming.
As far as I know, the world is spinning at the same rate as it was only a week ago. A month ago. A year ago. But now, as of 5:42 AM on March 17, 2020, we're living in a much different world. And it's weird to think I could feel it coming. For several … Continue reading I could feel this coming.
MPM 2.0: mercy unmasked 