How to Make it Through that First Year of Grief
On an afternoon in mid-July, my then-husband said to me, “Perhaps we should separate.” This was the day before we went on vacation to Niagara Falls. It was not a great [...]
grief
How Tattoos Tell Our Stories
I used to have a bumper sticker—fortunately, never affixed to my car’s bumper—that read, “tattoos: not just for sailors and whores anymore.” The sex worker-shaming [...]
Losing Alex
I still remember it like it was yesterday. The crisp January air stung my face as I hurried across the Lubbock Christian University campus, my mind abuzz. The 2010 Spring [...]
The Harm of Fixers | 5 Types of Well-Meaning People You Encounter When Suffering
There are people in your life who only like you when you are shiny and happy. They’re there to celebrate your triumphs. They love it when you’re grateful and full of joy. [...]
That’s What She Said | The Awesomely Spicy Divorce Playlist
Going through a divorce requires its own playlist. I should know. If my divorce was a combination plate, I’d be on the last taco, nothing left on my plate but a smattering [...]
Personal Essays | Two Parallel Lives
I am living two parallel lives. I am both happy and sad. My heart is so full, and yet so broken. I look toward the future with both hope and dread. [...]
“When Death Comes” | A Tribute to Mary Oliver
I found out this morning that one of my all-time favorite poets died. Mary Oliver, the badass pen toting poet died. I’m still processing and my heart is in shock. Her work [...]
Anxiety Blob | Anxiety Blog: Jumping Back In
One of the biggest challenges of living with anxiety is figuring out how to re-enter the world after you’ve been in retreat mode. You know that feeling, say, when you’ve [...]
She Had Always Known Me: Remembering Poet Ntozake Shange
My children have grown accustomed to my grief. Over the years—from the death of my parents and grandparents, aunts and uncles, a beloved cousin, to those of schoolmates [...]
Notes from Nanea | Holiday Complexity and the Beauty of Now
My dear Sweatpants & Coffee tribe, The house smells of baking and coffee. It’s deliciously quiet, now that I’ve shoved a bag of still-warm cookies into my [...]
