For the second night in a row, it happened. This time, I was standing in my kitchen consulting my Google Home on how long I could safely thaw raw meat at room temperature before bacteria began growing. The moment the shrill, public alert alarm broke through the locked screen of my smartphone as it sat in the living room, I …
Mental and Emotional Health
Happy International Women’s Day!!!
I’d like to think that Daylight Savings Time was just as eager as the rest of us to get this lovely day started—this day where (although we should celebrate it every day) we formally celebrate women everywhere. As a woman, I’ve always struggled with my identity—that is, how can I be the best woman I can be? Do I try …
A Park’s Perspective (Photography)
Though this is an old set of photos, it’s a set that I’ve been sitting on for months. And sometimes, words can’t provide the perspective that we’re really looking for. So, for this week’s post, there are words–but most of them aren’t mine. And there is perspective–just, not all in words. (Click on any image to see it in full …
Hold Our Hands: Fighting Mental Illness
Disclaimer: This blog post addresses heavier mental health topics than usual, including discussions of depression and self-harm. I am not a psychiatrist or a mental health specialist. I’m writing purely from an emotional standpoint–and because I just want to send out love and hope to anyone who happens to read this. I apologize if this falls into an incoherent rant–but …
Reasons Why I Write
In my last major post, I discussed my fears to pursue my lifelong sleeping desire to be a novelist. I call it a sleeping desire because, although I have literally been writing, illustrating, and narrating stories since I was in the single digits, I didn’t have the confidence to believe that I deserved to be a published author until about …
Tidying Up the KonMari Way
Not gonna lie: when I think about the term “tidying up,” I think about a stray toy on the floor, an open book on the coffee table, or maybe some excess paper on a desk. What I don’t think about is the endless black hole that I’ve managed to amass somewhere in the center of my home. I’ve lived in my …
The Creative Change Challenge
Several years, ago, while moving into my current house and unpacking the multitude of boxes that I’d brought with me from my apartment, I came upon an interesting piece of paper called “Creative Change.” On the paper was a list of 12 commandments of sorts, each instructing the user to gently modify her life through small adjustment to her standards …
Too Hard on Yourself–Stop the “One-Women Show”
As much as I would love to write a long, thought-provoking blog post right now, time constraints and the very reason I’m writing this is why I’m keeping this short. In fact, that first sentence may end up being the longest sentence in this whole post. So, let’s get right to the chase. Have you ever had someone tell you …