If you've read my two-part post about slowing down, the following announcement shouldn't come as a surprise to you: I'm going to slow down and consolidate the different places I'm writing. I realized that I've stretched myself too thin by writing individual blog posts, newsletter articles, and Patreon updates, while also homeschooling, doing freelance work, and writing my own fiction. I, of course, reached this realization…
Last time, on the blog, I talked about my (very ingrained) habit of working hard and fast (and too much) and always staying busy. I'm continuing the thoughts here. I have a lot of passions. Last fall, I knew I wanted to work with and help the unhoused community in Seattle. I wanted to sing in an all women’s choir that a friend of mine was…
Check it off the list. Finish the job. That task will be hanging over my head until it’s completely done. Any of those sound familiar? There are two sides to every coin. On one side is laziness and lack of impetus to get started. On the other is an impulsive, burning drive that pushes me to keep chugging along, a fire that never quite goes out.…
I’ve never been a “figure it out as I go” kind of person. I prefer to control and plan as much as possible. I want to know what I’m getting into. To know what the outline is. And if I don’t have some kind of a plan in place before the time arrives to jump into action, I will probably be panicked. Okay, I’ll definitely be…
It was a Saturday afternoon. My friend and I wanted to go on a girl-date somewhere nice. We went to an Italian cafe--a favorite of mine--ordered a bottle of wine and some snacks, and sat out in front of the cafe. This cafe is also a coffee shop and a restaurant. To say that I love this place is an understatement. The very first time I…
This last July, four of my dear writer friends and I took time away from work and family to gather in Seattle to write and live together for five days. When I was younger, this sort of thing was fairly easy for me to do (though I had less ability to earn and spend money than I do now), but now, in my present lifestage, time…
“Awkward” Definition a: lacking social grace and assurance b: causing embarrassment Most of us don’t like being awkward. Sometimes we’re just unaware of the awkwardness in a situation and sometimes we mistakenly perceive a situation to be more awkward than it really is. Actually, I’m not sure *any* of us like being awkward. We don’t like saying something that could make others embarrassed or upset, or at the…
I never used to think of myself as a gardener. There’s a patience and a faithfulness that it calls for. And I didn’t possess a lot of patience for most of my life. Until my firstborn came along and then…I just had to learn it. Gardening requires a good deal of foresight and hopefulness. You weed and prune and look forward to that gorgeous season where…
Hi friends! It's been a while since I've checked in, and I want to explain part of that. The beginning of school was a *really* rough start for me and the kids this year. It's my fourth year of homeschooling, so I'd like to think that I have at least some of it figured out by now. My daughter entered kindergarten this year, which meant I…
This week, my kids (8 and 5) are having their first swimming lessons of the year. On our first day, we had some trouble finding a parking space and ended up scraping our van's tires against the curb in front of a lovely old house. As my kids scampered out, an elderly man came across the yard toward us. I was steeling myself for a grumpy…