Published in Atta Girl·PinnedThe 21 Most Important Things I’ve Learned In 40 Years Of LivingIt’s the year 2021, I turned 40, and I know these 21 things to be true. As summer starts to come to a close, I’ve had time to think about the future. This did not go well, because let’s face it, little is happening in the world right now that…Humor2 min read
Dec 31, 2021I disinvited myself from Christmas…It was fantasticFor years now I’ve wanted to forget about the holiday celebrations with my family and just stay home. Trying to pretend that seeing my family with their own little families and celebrate them for two days in a row has become dreary and painful. …Depression3 min read
Oct 10, 2021I hate myself today.Guess World Mental Health Day isn’t different for me. On this World Mental Health Day, I woke up thinking: I hate myself. No question or uncertainty, I knew this without any doubt. Today, October 10, 2021, I hate myself. Luckily for me this was not a new discovery and did…World Mental Health Day2 min read
Published in New Writers Welcome·Aug 22, 2021I’ve made $0.93 in Medium’s Partner Platform!And I feel like a whole dollar. Imagine my surprise when I opened my email and saw I had earned money from writing! The dream! It has become a reality! Years of self-doubt, self-sabotage and self laziness have to lead to this moment of glory. I’m proud to share with…Humor3 min read
Jul 28, 2021When it comes to mental health — Simone Biles is still goldenSimone Biles’ decision to put her mental health above medals should be a lesson for us all. When the alerts on my NY Times, BBC, NPR, and Twitter apps all chimed in rapid fire my first thought was: “What (new) political, environmental, or social nightmare is about to take over…Mental Health4 min read
Jul 24, 2021Learning to Sit in MongoliaIt had been hours since the van had stopped and dropped us off to yet another remote part of the Mongolian steppe. Actually, saying another remote part is a bit of a redundancy: all of Mongolia is remote. This is a land that I had never been immersed in, through…Mongolia4 min read
Mar 12, 2021A year after the world stopped, I find inspiration again.In the most unusual of places Today is the day I reflect back on the year that was 2020, after living two full months in the New Year — and come upon the other year mark, the start of the end. …Spring Forward4 min read
Aug 23, 2020Writing Life: Success for me seems to be in reach, now that I’ve stopped listening to the ‘experts’Sometimes to find success you need to forget what other people tell you. One of my recent articles received my first comment written in another language. It was written in German and I had to use Google translate to ensure my complete guess as to what it said was correct…Writing Tips3 min read
Aug 17, 2020It’s all in a name.Why it’s important to make the effort to get each person’s right. During my teaching career, I have come across many names I did not know how to pronounce. I never guess how to pronounce a name because I will guess wrong. A stumbled attempt is fine with scientific names for plants or animals. A misspoken dinosaur name is not a huge…Black Lives Matter4 min read
Aug 9, 2020First the first time in a long time, I’m home.This summer wasn’t the one I signed up for…and that’s okay. I was supposed to be writing this from Australia. What part of the country I can’t say, my travel plan was to touch down at the Sydney airport and make the journey up as I went. Stay a while…Travel Essay5 min read
