Category: essay
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An Empty Tent
I have a secret daydream where I get savagely fired, my financial security shattered, so I can finally chase my deepest desires and fears. I don’t know why it has to happen this way in my inner world where I make the rules. Why not write now, without having all of my walls coming down…
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The Thought That Counts
At this point, most of us are acutely aware of what our 5 Love Languages are. Thank you, Dr. Gottman, for encouraging us to take the quiz to get to know ourselves a little more. The answers provide a quick guide to your partner in how best you feel and hear you are loved. Every…
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A Letter To My Teenage Self
Dear Teen, Your anxiety is probably lying to you. It tells you that you are not enough, right? Well, so does mine. So, I guess here we are, relapsing. You are probably just a teen, well, so am I. But that does not stop me from feeling tired, exhausted, and mostly suicidal. Your anxiety is…
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Do We Celebrate Dads Anymore?
I was face painting at a block party this weekend. I saw quite a few fathers out with their children. I saw a father with his boys wearing matching safari hats. Different colors and child-sized, but just like his. I thought, how cute is that! It was hot out. It was adorable to see a…
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Building Bridges
A bridge is a structure built to provide passage over an obstacle, usually something difficult to cross, such as a body of water, a road, a railway, or a valley. A bridge is also a fascinating metaphor for our lives. As we move through life, we build bridges to cross over obstacles in our relationships; to move…
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The Halfway Point: Why July Feels Like Looking In A Mirror
There is something strange about July. Unlike January, it arrives quietly. There are no fireworks, countdowns, or promises to become a better version of yourself. It sits in the middle of the year, almost unnoticed, asking a question that feels far more difficult than any New Year’s resolution: How is it going? By July, the…
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Evidence That Life Is Actually Quite Nice
A gentle reminder: there is still plenty of good to be found. A good room spray. A current fave is the Le Luxe Fresh Cotton Fabric Mist. Chef’s kiss. When your partner does the thing, demonstrating they understand you. Buying your favorite snack at the right time, doing a chore when they can see that…
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Fig Tree Theory
Most people say Sylvia Plath’s fig tree is about indecision. You know the metaphor: every fig represents a different future. One is a writer. One is love. One is moving away. And while you’re trying to choose, the figs begin to shrivel and fall. But I don’t think the fig tree is really about indecision.…
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Enough
In 1980, I was thirty-seven, divorced, a single parent with a full-time job in broadcasting and twenty-one credits toward a master’s degree in communications. Picture that with the caption: “Middle-class, Black woman/feminist/humanist, tries to do it all and prove herself competent, capable, authentic, and enough to be a credit to the race. That is a…
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Wake Up, The Children Are Waiting: The Case For Rebuilding Education
The Question No One Is Asking Loudly Enough Have you ever noticed that, as adults, when we talk about school, we usually speak about it in terms of survival? When did we as a society decide that it was acceptable to keep allowing the education system to treat kids like prisoners in an arena where…