Lego My Ego Years ago, someone teased me about how many self-help books I had on my shelf. I didn’t understand anyone not wanting to improve and the teasing about that still doesn’t make sense to me. I know I’m not everyone’s cup of kombucha. Which is fine. I’ve “read enough books” to be … Read more
Habitat for Humanity How’d your day start? Let me tell you how the tone was set for me. My day began with my legs flinging out the side of the bed escape-style and waking to the sound of my own blood-curdling screams. In the dream, I’d opened my back door and was startled … Read more
Under the Sun One of the main reasons I bike is that I love taking in the view. The wildflowers right now are CRAZY. I can’t get enough. I saw a biker wearing this jersey, and it happened to be a couple of days after someone threw a rock at my head … Read more
Humble Quinoa George Orwell said that to see what’s in front of one’s nose requires a constant struggle. Even though we might, in theory, have the “best” vantage point, we can be completely blind to see what everyone else sees. Rather, we refuse to believe others might know what they’re talking about. In our self-sufficient, … Read more
Squint Anne Lamott said, “Never compare your insides to everyone else’s outsides.” Don’t compare what you see in your Facebook newsfeed to what you see in your own house, because what you see in your feed—for the most part—is not reality. It’s not necessarily an intentionally misleading or a flat-out lie, but it’s not the whole … Read more
Little Star in the Fog I noticed this cactus asterisk (I’m assuming it’s a cactus) on my mountain biking trail yesterday, the day after someone was airlifted out of a ravine down below. With the helicopter swirling above and the ambulance and fire truck perched at the top of the hill, my husband John … Read more
Twist I love the art of story. In my opinion, the best story is one that includes a twist you never saw coming. Jen’s Dodge Demon story, for one.* I bet Jen’s parents did not see that coming. I think the story of Jesus is truly the most dramatic, most theatrically delicious, greatest … Read more
Chains You teach people how to treat you. I’m not sure who said it first—Dr. Phil, Oprah, or Tony Gaskins in this fleshed out version: “You teach people how to treat you by what you allow, what you stop, and what you reinforce.” In my own experience, I have sometimes allowed unacceptable behavior … Read more
One Hundred Even when I was a kid, I thought of the afterlife a lot. I think it’s safe to say, I always assumed that one exists. Even though that’s true for me, I routinely get caught up in the here and now. Like, every day. Most minutes, I’d say. This gets … Read more
