Courage

Well, it finally happened. I freaked out and lost my mind. Back in January, I applied for a job that I was eventually offered in May. This means that for the past six months, I have lived with the possibility (and now plan) of leaving Colorado – and even after making the decision, it’s felt…

I hate conflict and I hate humiliation. If someone wants to have an honest conversation that would require me to say something that might hurt their feelings, I turn tail and run like a deer. I’m learning to be better, be braver – but I know that no matter how good I get at it,…

“At a certain point in your life, probably when too much of it has gone by, you will open your eyes and see yourself for who you are, especially for everything that made you so different from all the awful normals. And you will say to yourself, ‘But I am this person.’ And in that…

“Is it okay for me to jump?” he yelled. I watched him pump his legs back and forth, swinging higher and higher until he was holding steady at a significant height. He and his brother had formed their own sort of Olympic game, gaining momentum and then jumping from their swings to see who could…

Without first being angry, you cannot forgive. Without first being unsure, you cannot trust. Without first being afraid, you cannot be brave. If you find yourself in any of these less-than-desirable places today, you are really just on the verge of a beautiful opportunity. A chance to forgive.  A chance to trust.  A chance to…

Last night, I was working it at the gym with my iPod on shuffle, when this song came on. Lazy Summer Love by annieparsons Honest to goodness, I had all but forgotten that I ever wrote it. This old demo made me remember what it felt like to write songs before anyone ever told me…

Something filled up my heart with nothing, Someone told me not to cry. But now that I’m older, my heart’s colder, And I can see that it’s a lie. -Arcade Fire I would rather be ashes than dust!  I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be…

On Friday morning, my dad and I left at 4am and drove for over 2 hours to hike for 6 and see only one other person all day.  It’s a very, very thin slice of the world’s population who will ever stand where we were on Friday – between the remote location and the 4-wheel…

I’ve heard it said that to start anything requires a certain willing suspension of disbelief.  You have to allow yourself, on some level, to dare to hope – even in the face of potential disappointment or failure or heartbreak. What a scary place to live.  There is no guaranteed win.  But thankfully, as a sweet…

My parents have three dogs, Rowdy, Maci, and Kodi. Kodi is the cutest.  That’s not favoritism – it’s just fact.  I mean, look at her happy dog perma-grin: Her name is Kodi, but mostly we call her Toad.  She’s this ridiculous, squatty little Chow mix, with short legs and a barrel chest.  She has so…