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 →
Shock and Awe
I waited as long as I possibly could before getting a new doctor here in Houston. Call me crazy, but I absolutely loathe going to see a doctor when there isn't a pressing issue to tend to. If I am in reasonably good health, I'm only thinking about the fact that I have an incurable... 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 →
The Ties That Bind
In the last nine months I've been reaching out to old friends. I got married so young, and in order to seek out people who knew me before all that, I have to go way back. I've always been an awful pen pal. When I was little and moved away from friends every three or... 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 →
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 →
You Are Amazing
Remember a few years ago when everywhere you looked, there was a woman reading Untamed by Glennon Doyle? Women in Starbucks, women on airplanes, women on the beach, all heeding the call at the same time? I didn't read it. As a rule, I avoid any book that is wildly popular because those books are... Continue Reading →
Chin Up
I was sitting in a doctor's office this morning when I noticed a glob of children's toothpaste smeared on the back of my hand. It had been hours since I'd brushed the kids' teeth, so I only knew what the sticky goop was because it was blue and smelled like fake fruit. It was a... Continue Reading →
How, exactly?
I have well-documented anxiety, and have recently begun discussing it with a therapist again. Why, you ask, wouldn't I be in a constant state of therapy if I know I have anxiety? Because I very much dislike crying. I get an awful headache after I cry, and it's obviously embarrassing and exhausting, but I also... Continue Reading →
Down For the Count
I'm entering night three of a bout of unnamed illness, and currently typing from an awkward reclined position because being upright for more than a few minutes is a non-starter. Coffee and dim lighting for the headache, blankets and sweater for the chills. It's not vertigo, more like motion sickness, where nodding or turning my... Continue Reading →