Confidence Ahead

As long as I can remember I've been drawn to people who are outspoken and excited and who act like they don't care about what people think of them. And for most of my life I've spent my time with peers who judge people who act that way. Last night I went to a bar…

February Summed Up

February 1st: Danced Through the Decades at a fundraiser for the school I work for. It was hard on me – I miss the days when I knew all the kids and adults in the school. I decided to intentionally form relationships with more people at school. February 2nd: My mom and I picked up…

Cold Update

How I know it’s really cold: Even our dog, the princess of potty procrastination, hurries up when she goes outside. She used to like the cold, but it’s too much for even her. With her long flowing locks of fluff, that tells me just how cold it is! In fact, it’s so cold outside, the…

The Importance of my Jack-o-Lantern

Sunday night we finally had time to carve our pumpkins. I had been trying for weeks – and was determined to get it done today, before Halloween, before the busyness of November begins. By the time I came home from what I’d been doing and we devoured the lovely hamburger soup Jason had prepared, the…

Skate Like No One is Watching

Tonight, my twelve-year-old niece had her birthday party at the roller rink. I was interested in skating, so prior to the party, I sent out a text asking if it would cost anything for me to rent skates. Word spread, and my nieces were excited. I had to find my balance first, and one niece…

The Hope Nail Polish Brought

On Friday, we went to the store to buy toilet paper, deodorant, and a few other essentials. Before we checked out, I picked up a $4 bottle of baby-girl-pink nail polish. To me, this is a huge deal. The last time I bought something for just myself that wasn’t an absolute necessity (like contact lens…

My Little Family Members

Tonight, family was in town, and a few of my nieces and nephews interacted with me a bunch, and they were just lovely. I'd like to share a few cute moments. This post might bore my non-family member followers, ha! IC, age two: sang me the alphabet, once regular speed, then fast asked me "what…

Rejected; Persistent

I got my first literary magazine rejection email. I have submitted three creative nonfiction flash pieces (less than 500 words) to four different journals. I am obviously disappointed, but I'm also delighted to have heard back. That means someone read my work! Sure, it didn’t fit what they were looking for, but it’s so exciting…

Tribute to Jones

Today I played songs on my guitar for a while. I noticed my callouses were starting to fade, and I wanted to jump back on the strings before it was too late. I have been so busy, and music was not a priority. Today, I didn't have to work, I wasn't motivated to write, and…

Extra Anxiety #endstigma

It's been a rough few weeks for my anixety, and I've been seeing my therapist weekly. I have been taking my emergency-only as needed anti-anxiety medication unusually often. I looked back at my diary app, on which I keep track of such things. As of Tuesday, I'd taken it 12 times since July 8. Typically, I take…