I have a hard time being still. I don’t have ADD or ADHD or Restless Leg Syndrome or any kind of disorder that makes me physically incapable of doing so. I just have a difficult time sitting still for extended periods of time. I’m usually the girl who still pedaling her feet a yoga instructor … More Face Your Fears: Move.
I am married to the Clark Griswold of Halloween. He has successfully trained up all of our children to love scaring people as much as he does. They call themselves “The Halloween Planning Committee” and they literally spend this entire month plotting and scheming to create a graveyard of horrors guaranteed to frighten grown adults … More Face Your Fears: Seek.
Cross country is a wonderful sport…strange, but wonderful. I’ll never forget the time a dear friend came to see me run in college and after my race she walked up and said, “Well, that was the strangest thing I’ve ever seen. The gun went off and all the runners took off running and the spectators … More Face your Fears: Plan.
I hate new. Well, today I do, anyway. With 12 addresses in the past 23 years, let’s just say I’ve had my fair share of new. New houses to organize, new friends to make, new streets to memorize, and new routines to learn. We moved into our newest house in June and I have a … More Navigating New
To the ordinary person, the tree in my front flower bed is nothing more than just a pretty piece of landscaping. But, one day last week, I discovered that it’s something so much more. For several days I noticed that every time the front door opened, a bird came shooting out of it and flew … More After the Storm
On a regular night, many years ago, a simple man and his simple friends gathered for dinner. The friends talked and laughed. They argued and teased one another. And right there–in the middle of it all–the simple man did something simply extraordinary. Rising quietly from the dinner table, he picked up a towel and a … More Just Say ‘Yes’
Spectator. According to the wrinkled-up pages of the thesaurus on my shelf, synonyms for this word are “onlooker,” “bystander,” “watcher,” and (the one that makes my stomach tighten) “nonparticipant.” This is what I’ve been in my own life for almost a year now. A spectator sitting back….looking on as my day-to-day unwraps itself slowly, like a Christmas … More The Spectator
Lately, I’ve been remembering. Someone close to me is walking a path I’m all too familiar with so I’ve been her “person.” I’m the one she calls when she’s spiraling. The one she calls when she’s processing. The one she calls when she needs safe ears to absorb all the cuss words. I’ve heard that … More Marking the Moments.
Sometimes it sneaks up behind me; taps me on the shoulder when I least expect it. Sometimes I go toe-to-toe, stare it down, and double-dog dare it to try to take me down. Sometimes I wrestle it through the night until dawn….and walk away with a limp like Jacob’s. But all the time I know … More Facing Fear
Once upon a time I thought I’d be a world traveller. I’d join the Peace Corps or spend my life on the mission field. I’d build schools and teach in them. I’d learn languages and cultures and all about the people. I’d teach them and they’d teach me about their customs and traditions and what … More On Change.
my anchored life: 