My first day of kindergarten! Around 5 years old many people get asked the same question every August. “Are you ready for school to start?” For 23 years I got asked this question. 13 years as a student in Glendo. 4 years of college. 6 years of teaching. For 22 years my answer was some form of “Yes! I’m ready to get back.” Until last year. For the first time the start of a new school year didn’t feel like an empty book ready to be filled with memories, adventures, and stories.

Along with a majority of the world, when I don’t know what is happening I struggle. I hate going into a new situation blind. If I’m going to a new location I check the parking situation first. A new restaurant gets at least 5 online menu lookups. I ask too many questions and try to be over prepared and somehow I’m still nervous- even when nerves aren’t necessary. It’s a biological response to feel uneasy or “nervous” when it comes to a situation with an unknown outcome. We ar

As humans the one thing we instinctively want is acceptance. No matter how hard we try to find it, how much we want to act like not fitting in doesn’t bother us, humans want to have a place and have others around us. It’s survival. For thousands of years safety and security came from being part of a group. Being alone has always put us at risk. Even for those people who enjoy being alone, we still have small pieces of acceptance we crave. We are part of our family, friend gro

taring into a mirror, moving closer and closer, I observe every inch of my face. We’ve been taught to find every small imperfection, tear it apart, and then search for something to buy to fix it. There’s always a new cream, mask, or light therapy treatment for your skin imperfections. Surgery, shots, and the newest exercise trend can be purchased to make you lose weight. One second something is marketed until everyone feels we must have it, then people change their minds and

I became a mom the second I saw those two lines. I was a mom when I shared the news with your dad, when we first saw your “little big head” on a screen, the first time I heard your heartbeat, when I learned you were a boy. I became a mom the second I knew about you, and suddenly my life wasn’t mine anymore. The next 8 months so much time and energy went to making sure everything went right to get you here safely. I had my weakest and strongest moments in those months, and sud

So many stages of life (at least for me) seem to end with brokenness. It’s almost as if it’s the signal to look for what’s next. It’s only visible in hindsight, but the heartbreak, tears, anger, all must happen to move forward. It’s so hard to see it in the moment. And even though I can acknowledge this, I always forget it when I need it most. In the moments I feel like I can’t go on, like the world is ending, like I’ll never feel happiness again for whatever reason. I can’t

In the past year I’ve had several moments where I pause, take stock of my life and my blessings, and I’m completely blown away by it all. I don’t have the biggest house but we have a home that is perfectly ours. I don’t have the most money and highest paying job (if I could smirk into the camera like the Office I would), but we enjoy what we have and I love making a difference when I’m able to. I don’t have the most friends I spend hours upon hours with, but I know those clos

I’m quickly learning to hate the internet and social media more and more. It’s not even by the month or week or day, I’m hating it more by every hour, minute, second. I know many people still use it for good. They use it for connection, for sharing good ideas and correct information. But by golly, you cannot turn off the addition of negativity, false narratives, armchair experts and devastating news that tends to bombard us when we least expect it, and when our mental health

Coming in to the end of a year has always been something I got excited for. I’m a sucker for setting new goals, looking ahead, the idea of “new year new me” without really changing who I am, or as it’s being phrased online this year “rebranding”. I’m at in between not-truly-type-A-but-structured-enough-type-B-doesn’t-feel-right person. I love checklists, goal setting, evaluating what’s been done and planning for what is to come. Ask my husband, going with the flow or not hav

Anytime I make the mistake of listening to the news, scrolling online too long, or tuning in to 90% of the conversations around me I hear a similar message. The sky is falling. I’ve struggled for a long time with getting caught up in it all. The scary state of the world. Deadlines. Negativity. My inability to control a majority of the things in life. Sometimes I do feel like the sky is falling. I feel like everything is broken. I feel my efforts are useless and nothing matter

In a world where it seems like everything is shared and everyone posts their life, there’s one thing that still feels shameful to even...

Recently a Facebook post was made (like the beginning of every bad story) where a comment was made insinuating someone close to me was a...

Too many times I’ve said “I can lose with grace, I’ve done it plenty of times.” And it’s true. I’m not upset about it. It’s a fact. All...

I just went back to work. Now, going back to work after summer break is something I’ve now done 6 times as a teacher, but this time is...

As long as I can remember I’ve believed in the idea of all or nothing. Why do anything halfway? Either give it your all or don’t even...

It’s been 3 years since I shared my thoughts in writing like this. One of my goals for 2025 was to write more and share it. So here I am,...

When I was 17 my best friend told me she was competing in a pageant for a second time. I had never thought of myself as the type of...

Thinking of my future, I've always imagined a grand adventure. Leaving the biggest impact, being remembered by many, labeled as one of...

Sometimes it feels silly to have ‘awareness month’ for something people are aware of. We all are aware of mental health, we know what it...