I feel like I’m standing at a fork. To the left is a clear path - a comfortable path. I know what to expect on that path because I’ve taken it before.
To the right is a new path. It’s covered in overgrown brush with thorns and wildflowers and I can’t quite see through it. This path is both exciting and terrifying.
Read MoreFulfillament is a live storytelling event where community leaders & entrepreneurs share their journey toward fulfillment through vocation that challenges them to COME ALIVE!
Read MoreWe are entering year 3 of a global pandemic. We are burnt out, worn out, and dealing with more collective (and personal) grief than ever before.
Read More“I miss the old you.”
What they meant was the “fun” me. The “light” me. The “easy going” me. The me that smiled widely and laughed freely and stayed late at the party.
Read MoreSeveral weeks ago, I entered a dream contest through Airbnb for the opportunity to live nomadically in Airbnbs around the world for a year. When you enter these types of things, you never expect to hear back. You give it your best shot, imagine winning only for a few seconds, and then continue on with your life. But I did hear back.
Read MoreI wondered: will people assume I am no longer sad about Brad? Does being happy somehow equate to missing him less? Will others stop saying Brad’s name? Would sharing my joy be hurtful to other grievers? Can I be both happy and grieving at the same time?
Read MoreI sat crosslegged on the floor of the loft. The loft that used to be ours but now was just mine. It was empty, except for the beer can that sat in front of me and the disco ball in the corner. But even in its emptiness, the space felt so very full by the life that was lived within those four walls.
Read MoreA year ago, I walked into a sun-filled house and said out loud to my friend and realtor, “this is my home.”
Looking back it was a presumptuous and naive statement to make for a house that was over my budget in a vacation town where homes were scooped up within a day after multiple offers presented. Under normal circumstances, I would have never gotten that house.
Read MoreI was a mourning widow and I was a 30-something with a desire to be touched. The latter felt like a betrayal to the former. I felt like a horrible human being and an even worse wife.
Read More2020. A new decade. A fresh start. A clean slate.
But in order to move forward with intention, first I’m reflecting back. I’m looking back at my experiences, my growth, and my mistakes. And when I reflect back on the last 10 years, I see a decade full of richness, depth, and adventures. But I also see a decade full of incomprehensible pain and heartache.
Read MoreI carry these moments of grief just like I carry these moments of love - they both slow me down and propel me forward. The heaviness of those moments are still there, several years later. But so is a new fortitude. A new strength I didn’t have in previous years.
Read MoreI recently listened to this podcast with Elizabeth Gilbert on how instead of chasing passion (something she’s been preaching her entire career), you should be chasing CURIOSITY instead. And let me tell you, this spoke - so deeply and so profoundly - to my soul.
Read MoreI’ve been having a lot of conversations about power - specifically the internal power we all possess. As I dream up future plans and ambitions for the Forced Joy Project (and subsequently ask myself why I am not doing more to chase those dreams), a wise woman recently told me that we are more afraid of our own power than of the possibility of failure.
Read MoreFor two years I’ve had this Samuel Beckett quote at the top of my notes. Each morning, as I began my writing for the day, I'd read it and feel the truth of the complexities of loving and losing and living in the aftermath.
Read MoreRecently I was asked a question by a friend: “how do you handle the fear of growing old alone.” I gave her a quick response and we moved on in our conversation, but the question stuck with me and I wanted to dive a little deeper into that fear - and the complex feelings it brings up.
Read MoreWhen Brad died, I had several people ask me (and many more ask around me) if I was going to stay in Detroit. At the time I was incredibly offended. How could they question my loyalty to Detroit?
Read More
