Oh, What a Tangled Web We Weave

I hate spiders. No, let me get that right. I loathe spiders. I might even have arachnophobia, to tell the truth. And I found that out the hard way just a week ago. Driving to work one dark morning the week before spring break, I was fighting the urge to curse the darkness. I mean, … Read more

Pretend They Aren’t There

I’m a worrier. Always have been. After years of practice, I’ve elevated it to an art. I shape my worries the way a woodworker shapes the spindles of a chair. I buff and polish them, smooth as river teeth. There are the little worries, the daily stresses we all deal with that niggle at that little … Read more

The Arachmobile

I gave that spider a week to die or move out of my car. My husband, Brett, vowed there’d been no spider sightings the week he drove the Jeep, so after a thorough inspection Monday morning, I eased carefully into the driver seat and took my chances. At every stoplight, I glanced around, double-checking for new … Read more

So Much Nature

One of those last, blissful mornings of summer, I went for a walk with my 15-year-old son, the same walk I took most every summer morning. But this walk was different: instead of turning over to-do lists and worries in my mind as I walked, I wanted to be focused on the here and now. My son would … Read more

Showing Up

Ahh, perfectionism. I started this blog for the express purpose of exorcising that demon. I thought what if, instead of the meticulous, painstakingly slow process I put myself through to shape a piece until I think it’s ready for publication (and then endure the self-absorbed drop in self-esteem if that piece isn’t accepted)—what if, instead of all that, … Read more

Keeping Beauty

I just finished an amazing book this morning: The Underground Railroad. I tried listening to the audiobook version, but the writing was so achingly beautiful that I had to keep stopping, then rewinding to hear a phrase or sentence, again and again. I wanted to remember the haunting, gorgeous words, keep them somewhere close to me. Apparently, I’m out … Read more