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…

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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…

The World is Not Black and White (Another Thing I’ve Learned from Gardening)

I got up late three days in a row and missed my chance to water in the early morning. I’ve enjoyed that, before it gets unbearably hot. I also like the sounds of birds chirping and the smell of the plants. I like the feeling of peace I get out there to start my day.…

Mindfulness Monday: Trail Edition

This morning I had my regular chiropractor visit, and then I had an hour to kill before my therapy appointment, which was two minutes away. Also nearby is the entrance to a major trail, so I ducked into that parking lot and walked around for half an hour. With a few minutes to go until…

Food Pantry Ham Horrors

My husband and I got a ham from the food pantry. It was free, which is great and all, but it really did not appear ham-like. Jason, between gagging as he cut it up, made some pretty amusing comments. Here are my favorites: On slicing it: “It's like I'm dissecting Jabba the Hutt's tongue. No.…