Choosing Present Over Productive
My family just returned from a two-month road trip. Seriously, the stuff of dreams. After 18 years of teaching, my husband and I finally had a 100% work-free summer and traveled the country with our children. It was pure magic. We'd hoped for this kind of summer for many years, but it always seemed out of reach.
3 Things I Learned So Far in 2021
Unbelievable to think we are well into April already, isn’t it? While 2020 crawled along like a wounded animal to the new year, this year seems to be the opposite. We’re bounding ahead on the calendar and everyday life is…
You Can’t Drive a Parked Car
Momentum is hard to come by sometimes. External circumstances, internal conflict, or a combination of the two often keep us in "park" when we should be "driving" in life. And I'm getting tired of it.
The Wisdom of Bob Ross for Writers
Bob Ross was much more than a source of painting entertainment. He was a fount of wisdom, much of which applies to writers...
An Interview with Robin W. Pearson: Faith and Southern Roots Run Deep
I first met Robin W. Pearson some years back at a friend's home. Later, we briefly attended the same writers' group...
There’s Power in Planning
Failure to plan well took a toll on my writing life in 2020. This proved to be a valuable lesson as I enter 2021.
The Triumphant Rise of the Shlumpadinka
Ringing in 2020 felt so exciting before we knew better. A new decade, a blank calendar page—lots of hope and promise ahead. We barely got the champagne flutes washed and put away before COVID consumed our collective consciousness. Our shiny…
Looking Up the Ladder
Nearly five years ago, a debilitating back injury shifted my focus and changed the trajectory of my life. The whole story of my transition from injured runner to aspiring writer is one I still marvel at today. You can read…
That Was a Quite a Trip (Around the Sun)
Today my older daughter asked what I wanted to do about my birthday this year. She and her husband just bought their first home, so she wants to have us over for cake. I hadn’t given it much thought and…
The Best Advice For Dealing with Critics and Naysayers
Being a creative person requires a delicate emotional balancing act. We need a thick enough skin to shake off unconstructive criticism while exercising enough humility to be teachable and moldable. It’s been a long-term project for me to develop this…
Encouragement for the Weary from Literary Greats
So it’s only been three weeks of school, and I’m already overwhelmed as a parent and a teacher. The pandemic continues its disruption to education. I miss my students, friends, and family and just want life to be normal again.…
