Life is clumsy. Sloppy. Bogged down in minutiae and an onslaught of tasks, you forget yourself, let alone your partner. Something will suffer, and parents usually choose their kids as a priority when it all becomes too much. When the mail piles up, you open the bills first. When you are overextended, you take care... Continue Reading →
Perks
The beginning of a relationship is worlds away from how it ends. Even the less pretty days in the trenches are not an accurate foreshadowing of how it will look when you hear the death knell. It's never fair to compare something new to something road-tested. While my experience with new relationships wouldn't fill an... Continue Reading →
Damsel
Becoming a parent will turn your life completely upside down. You suddenly have this creature for whom you must perform many roles - safe space, nurturer, provider, protector. Becoming a single parent means performing all the roles when your children are under your care. You have to switch between being the gentle parent, the tough-love... Continue Reading →
What’s in the Box?
The weekends and holidays spent without my kids these last nine months have left me feeling the way I imagine empty nesters feel - every waking moment is devoted to caring for your kids, and suddenly one day they're gone. At first you wander aimlessly from room to room, waiting for someone to need you,... Continue Reading →
Give Her a Project
Crossfitters and athletes cannot help but attempt a new skill for beefcakes as soon as they see it on social media. Push-up challenge? Balancing while lifting? New kind of one-legged squat? They've got to put themselves to the test right away. To get me on my feet and feeling a little competitive, show me a... Continue Reading →
In Defense of Stillness
I have more free time in this new life I've created, and that's not always a good thing. Since the end of my marriage I have done my best to fill my time with things that bring me joy whenever possible. At first I was packing the house to relocate so I barely sat down... Continue Reading →
Warts And All
Remember at the beginning of a relationship, when you could present a highly curated version of yourself in small doses? Those were the days, man. If you've been together a long time, there is very little mystery left. Your 24/7 partner is seeing a lot behind the curtain that your Friday night date is shielded... Continue Reading →
Move It
Farewell, old house! I love to relocate. I moved a lot as a kid, and after I've lived somewhere three years, I start to wonder what's next. We moved around because of my dad's job, and my husband doesn't have the same kind of job, so moving around isn't as necessary (once we moved to... Continue Reading →
Drama and trauma and bees, oh my
A lot has happened this year, and it seems like most of it has happened to Archie, my middle child. Archie had his tonsils and adenoids removed several years ago, and his doctor suggested putting in ear tubes just for the heck of it since he was already having surgery. We agreed, because what do... Continue Reading →
Not Quite Jolly
Do you ever attempt to soothe your soul in an absolutely nonsensical way? Common advice for anxiety sufferers is occupying your hands to distract your mind, as if knitting an afghan would erase your constant stress. It certainly wouldn't do the trick for me, since I never had the mental fortitude for knitting -- instead... Continue Reading →