I have the strength to deal with this time. I have the strength to stick to my choices. I have the strength to learn new skills. I have the strength to change my mind. I have the strength to be patient with myself and others. I have the strength to persist. I have the strength…
Trust and Love are My Belief System
When I was 15 one of my close friends came out to me. In those days, I pretty strongly believed that being gay was wrong and antithetical to Christianity. While I believe I handled my response as best as could be expected coming from an ignorant know-it-all teenager, I know I did not make my…
Love, Loss, and Where I Work
I have been a nanny since graduating from college in 2015. At first I expected it to be temporary, and when I realized that was not the case, I felt insecure. I knew I loved my job, but I could also perceive that other people expected me to move on. People wanted nannying to be…
Harry Potter and the Self-Assured Child
The Harry Potter books were hugely popular when I was a child. They still are, I think, but growing up during the publications was a whole other experience. I never read them as a kid, though. For various reasons, I was pretty adamant that those books were not for me. I did not read much…
Is Easter for Me?
The Case for Secular Easter I grew up Christian. My parents took me to church just as their parents took them to church. And yes I had Sunday school teachers and pastors who guided me, but I felt self-driven. Unlike some children who were not interested or felt forced, I was committed, interested, and liked…
How to Live Life: Be Bold from Home
I have recently been struggling with how to live life under the current circumstances. My twenties have largely been about living the life I did not live in my childhood and teens. That is not to say that I had a bad childhood, but rather that I often sat on the sidelines. I had interests,…
Life is Hard and Beautiful
I wrote this essay as a reflection a couple months ago. This evening I went to a house concert. One of my old Whitman music major comrades, Maya Elise, organized a concert with a couple other groups of powerful female musicians. I have been watching Maya’s concert schedule for the past couples years, wondering when…
I Am Sad, Though I’m Not Alone
Maybe you have read or thought about coronavirus enough and do not want to spend another five minutes hearing another person’s perspective. I understand that! I was very conflicted about whether or not I would write on this subject. However, it has really been hard to think about much else this week, and I am…
I Promise to be Me
Last week I did something I was not confident about. Spurred on by a conversation with a couple friends, I shared a link to my blog on my Instagram page. I wanted to make a commitment to myself and this project, but this was a difficult step to take. It was easy for me to…
Don’t Be Unnecessarily Afraid
I always wondered how people ended up with personal mantras. Mine just sort of happened and my life sort of changed. Don’t be unnecessarily afraid. I have mentioned my mantra before. It plays an active role in my daily life. Here is how I describe it: There is necessary fear that keeps us alive, but…