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 [...]
recovery
When Your Trauma Doesn’t Fit the Image of PTSD
I’ve run a blog for the last five years about the intersection of my chronic physical and mental illnesses and my hopes of living a life of joy despite and sometimes even [...]
That’s What She Said | How To Deal With Light When Emerging From Grief
It’s hard to have nice things. Really hard. Also, that’s what she said. After I had children and discovered the sheer destruction that they wrought on – [...]
Sweatpants & Soul | Revival
I was born on thirteen forested acres, in a trailer on the American River Canyon in Northern California. Whenever my parents had any extra money, it went into renovating this [...]
That’s What She Said | Dumb Lies You Need to Know During Hard Times
We tell ourselves dumb lies, especially when times are hard. The voices that live in our heads tell us lies about our value, but here is some truth. [...]
Sweatpants & Soul | Fibromyalgia: The Power of Being Seen
It was November 2013. I needed to drive from Tennessee to New Jersey (and back) within nine days to get my car inspected at home during my Thanksgiving break from college. I [...]
So You Won’t Watch This Controversial Show: Here’s a List of the Good Lessons from the 2nd Season of “13 Reasons Why”
A list of important points came up while watching 13 Reasons Why that I believe could spark better conversations than watching the show. [...]
Personal Essays | Burn the Pages & Keep Going
The past teaches us important lessons about where we do and do not want to go, but we also need to let go. [...]
How I’m Coming to Radically Accept My Life as a Young Adult with Fibromyalgia
Note: I wrote this article for “The Mighty” back in spring 2016 when I was on leave from social work grad school. During that time, I was unable to work or go to school. [...]
30 Unique Skills of People Who Live with Chronic Health Conditions
People often think of disabled people in terms of what they lack, but here are a few remarkable gifts that we have. A list of spoonie skills for those of us who live with [...]
