Ice Cream for Dinner

All or nothing. That is how I have lived most of my life. I am either all in or I am not at all, there isn't anything in between. I operate in a fixed mindset. On or off. Black or white. Truthfully, that serves me well at times. However, there are areas of my life … Continue reading Ice Cream for Dinner →

A City With No Walls

In America, we live within the borders we see on maps. Lines drawn across vast stretches of land define futures, with no regard to circumstance. Where I live, in Northern California, I can drive for a few hours and cross the border into Nevada. There is no wall, no physical border between us. I just … Continue reading A City With No Walls →

Savoring Secrets

Calories eaten in secret don't count, right? We all know that isn't true, but we sure savor that chocolate bar a little different when no one is around. It's not that I don't have to share it - if that was the case I would just buy two. It is about being free from the … Continue reading Savoring Secrets →

Mom Guilt

I have always been a driven person, placing high expectations on myself. At least that is the way to say it that sounds the best. The more accurate truth is that I have always been a little girl doing her best, begging for someone to notice her. Operating at a high level of excellence was … Continue reading Mom Guilt →

The Age of Accountability

I’ve been fighting this battle as long as I can remember. Well, I don’t know if fighting is the right word, since that would imply that I have been actively opposing, and that’s not entirely true. Maybe I have been struggling, not fighting. At times I have fought, and at times I have coasted along … Continue reading The Age of Accountability →

Paradise is a Lie

I once read in a book that if you're feeling like you need a vacation, you should try building a life that you don't need a vacation from. When I read those words for the first time, I stopped and pondered for a moment what that life might look like. Then I went about my … Continue reading Paradise is a Lie →

Purging Hope

You may have clicked the link today to see how many things I purged from my home, but the only thing that was purged from me this week was hope. As I have purged things from my home, the items that remain have become illuminated. These precious things that made the cut somehow feel more … Continue reading Purging Hope →

Silencing the Flesh

It has been seven days - that's one hundred and sixty eight hours or, more dramatically, ten-thousand and eighty minutes - since my last encounter with sugar. Last Saturday night, I savored those Nestle Tollhouse chocolate chip cookies, topped with coffee ice cream, knowing it would be the last time I partook of such an … Continue reading Silencing the Flesh →

Preparing for the Journey

I don’t adapt well to sudden change. I know I developed that character trait as a result of a chaotic childhood, where sudden change stemmed from eminent danger or was followed by the loss of something that made me feel secure. That isn’t to say that I don’t like change. I actually thrive on change. … Continue reading Preparing for the Journey →

The Power to Choose

Have you ever learned something, and the minute that the knowledge hit you, you knew that you were going to have to make a change? Like, maybe you read in a newspaper article that the CEO of your favorite charity earned a salary that was so ridiculously high that you knew at that very moment … Continue reading The Power to Choose →