I’ve been told it’s fine to hate Trump, but don’t extend that anger towards his voters. Sure, it makes sense to be disgusted by the politicians who call January 6th a peaceful demonstration, who are suppressing voting rights and spreading deadly disinformation about vaccination, but don’t be ...
It snuck up on me, like a rainstorm in a cloudless sky. There was always the anticipation, the array of prospects and possibilities you have when packing for a trip. There’s the excitement that comes from both solid planning and those unrealistic hopes you know serendipity might bring. You ...
Life is chock full of know-it-alls, bullies, baiters, grandstanders, mansplainers, won’t-let-you-get-a-word-in-edgewisers. Whether it’s someone’s way of dominating you or the conversation, it’s disrespectful and annoying. That person isn’t listening to what you’re saying, nor are they ...
Normally, I wouldn’t have given it a second thought. Forty years ago, twenty years ago, ten years ago, five years ago, I wouldn’t have thought twice about making a quick trip to the lobby of my apartment building without wearing a bra. Being braless is more comfortable, and if it were ...
The world can be a stubbornly magical place with improbabilities around every corner. I really wish I could travel back in time and visit my hankering teenage self and tell her about one particular miracle coming her way.
A few years ago, I was working out at the gym when I spotted a man ...
In a world that valued women's lives and bodies, I wouldn't have either. My birthmother wanted to have a safe abortion and she didn't have that choice. She should have.
My biological mother's name was Doris, a 37-year-old secretary living in Washington, D.C. She had been working there for ...
I always wanted to be a pretty person, but I wasn’t. I was an ugly person. That’s the story I’ve always told myself, and always believed. My hair wasn’t right, my chest wasn’t super big, my nose wasn’t super small. I could eat a lot and not get fat, my face wasn’t ...
I’d like to talk about one of the worst days of my life. Seven people died on that day, but I didn’t know any of them. Yes, it was a day that affected millions of people. It happened back in the days before the Internet and cellphones, so most of the country heard about ...
You don’t care about my metabolism. Specifically, you don’t care about the grinding halt to which it came, and then turned around and spit in my face and kicked me in an ever-expanding middle. I won’t bore you telling you how much time I spend deeply mourning my once slim and fit body. I try ...
I don’t remember my wedding. I don’t remember college. I’ve been to Brazil, apparently. I’ve seen Bruce Springsteen on Broadway, sat in middle of the first row. (First row!) But I don’t remember.
Reading is really hard now. If I see too much text at once it gets overwhelming. (Plea to ...
So, how often do you think about who you are? Every day? No? Then it’s time to start! It’s not a self-involved question for egomaniacs. It’s a necessary inquiry for people who want to live with clarity and intention. To know who you are is essential for those who want to grow, to be their ...
Everyone knows there are things you do not say when people tell you they were sexually molested as children -- things like:
Well, what were you wearing?
That explains a lot.
Big whoop.
Cool!
But there are others, too.
Twice in my life I brought up to my father that I’d been ...
