My Dad had a “send off speech” he gave my sisters and I before we went out with friends or for almost anytime we left the house growing up. He would tell us in his jovial way to go and “Be young, have fun, and remember who you are!” We would each lovingly assure him as we left our cozy safe home and went off into the world with friends on our various adventures that we would. There is some debate about what he meant as we each received his blessing for a fun night out and

My life was mapped out for me in my mind's eye for as long as I could remember. I lived every portion of that dream and saw everything I ever wished for come to fruition. It was exactly as it should have been and led me right to the point where I had everything I ever wanted. (You can read more about this in part 1) Then I woke up sometime in my early to mid 40’s to realize (slowly, not all at once) that I wasn’t very happy. It wasn’t an obvious thing and it certainly was

I was recently looking at an old picture of my now adult children when they were very young sitting on my husband’s lap. They were both smiling giant smiles up at him and he was somehow taking them both in and glowing back at them. I am not one to usually get all sentimental or even fixate on missing my children when they were small, for I have truly enjoyed watching them grow as people through their various stages and relished the ebbs and flows our relationships have deve

Humans don’t hibernate for winter like animals or trees, but there is a strong inclination to wind things down to a slower pace, end your day a little earlier, take more naps, and just plain zone out for a bit more in the colder months. I think it starts right after the holiday hustle and bustle, as we feel the need to tidy up our spaces, clean out the things that no longer serve a purpose to us, and organize the ones that do. Even the stores feel the need at this time to p

Last night I had the most beautiful encounter at our local grocery store. The gentleman in the next line over from us had a few toys for Christmas in his hands and we let him in front of our full cart. As he was ringing out I mentioned that he was a very smart shopper, mostly because he picked the quietest store open on a busy Saturday evening in December but also because he had gotten some lucky child a Bluey action figure set and a Barbie . Even though I hadn’t told him m

I have a nephew that was born just after Thanksgiving. Every year, my Christmas crazed family begins to get a little more excited for the jollier holiday a little bit earlier every year. With some even touting trees up mere days after Halloween jack o’ lanterns have hit the bins. Now that this has been going on for the past few years, my Thanksgiving loving nephew’s favorite catchphrase has become, “Respect the Turkey”, said with both authority and from a genuine place of

As we have officially turned the clocks back this weekend I guess I have no other choice than to admit that the fall/autumn season is not only in full swing, but it is also the gratitude attitude season sprinkled with whispers of holiday cheer sneaking in for an early peak. I can’t say I’m disappointed as I pack away the more witchy attire from my October fest of drying herbs, roasting squashes, and blanching any remaining vegetables from my garden that I couldn’t stuff with

I’m not here to whine about how growing up Gen X forced us to bottle up our emotions and toughen up. Without having lived through the generationally passed down philosophy of “sucking it up” we wouldn’t be Gen X after all, it made us who we are. However, that doesn’t mean that it didn’t leave some kind of mark imprinted on us and the way we approached life moving into our adult years. The age of learning to feel our feels and validate our emotions has arrived and as much as

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