She-who-will-remain-nameless: "Wow, your hair is ... different." Me: "Yep! Like it?" SWWRN: "Um, it's ... unique. It's kind of the thing right now." Me: "Yep." (I'm smiling because I know she is afraid to say she hates it.) SWWRN: "What will you think about that haircut in thirty years? Don't you think you'll look back and think, 'wow, 2014 was weird' and kind of regret it?" I'm not actually sure I responded to this. I might have feigned amusement and changed the subject. What I am sure … [Read more...]

On Saturday night I fell asleep in the only clean clothes I still have, half a text message drafted, a full cup of tea on the night stand. But it was in my bed—where I am almost positive my memory foam loves me just as much as I love it. In eight days I hadn't slept in the same house any two consecutive days. I traveled more than 900 miles in that time, but never made it more than 150 miles away from my house. I worked three different jobs and comforted half a dozen miniature … [Read more...]

I know I said I hate lists a couple blog posts ago. But I lied. And then I wrote a list. Here's what I've learned this week: 1. I'm a hot mess. No for real though. I leap before I look. I channel Peter and just step out of that darn boat and then I TOTALLY FREAK OUT and start SINKING! I nearly lopped someone's ear off today, without seeing the situation was still full of grace and redemption. Oh, Peter. 2. I might actually be a grown up. I'm a runner. When things get hard, I run. When … [Read more...]

I told myself I'd never be the girl who fell in love with California. "How cliché." I told myself that the sunshine and celebrities were over-rated. I told myself I was too much of a progressive hippie to fall for such a superficial place. It turns out I lied. My first visit to California found me in the wrong parts of East L.A. sorting boxes of donated food. I learned three phrases in Spanish, crushed on a kid with a goatee and folded a whole lot of bedsheets. Since that week … [Read more...]

A few months ago my young married friend told me she wants me to hang out with a single friend of hers so I can help him learn how to be happy even though he's single. I love her for thinking I could help at all. I laugh because it's not something a person can be taught. They have to just get over themselves long enough to find other things they want in life besides a spouse. But I like a good challenge. So I made this: 5 WAYS TO LIVE A FULFILLED LIFE WHILE BEING SINGLE 1. Avoid/ignore … [Read more...]

We’re sitting shoulder to shoulder. Literally. At first I sat up and leaned on my left hip, but that starts to ache in the places I injured years ago. So now I am allowing my arm to rest against his. I can feel his forearm flex as his fingers shuffle the cards on smart-phone-solitaire. He’s furry and smells of the outdoors and has said only two words, but I am sure I trust him. I swear I didn’t mean to, but I saw when he sat down he texted Deborah to let her know he boarded his plane. I … [Read more...]

This is not a resolution. Only ... I'm starting at the beginning of this new year. So it sort of feels like it is one. Which means it is doomed to failure. Sigh. But I'm going to try it anyway. In an attempt to save the U.S. postal service from shutting down (not the real reason), I am going to attempt to send out TWO letters EVERY. SINGLE. WEEK. this year. (Three letters when I'm feeling extra spunky.) … [Read more...]

I usually blog when I am procrastinating. Today is only a little different. Today, I set out to get real work done, but my angry hip is extra angry and I can't focus. So I thought I'd go to bed early and get some sleep, but I also can't sleep. I can almost always sleep, but when I can't—I blog. I've had these ideas on my mind for a very long time. But I owed so many people SO many projects I said I would complete SO many moons ago ... and that left me feeling guilty about blogging about my … [Read more...]