Taking the long way around can be a good thing

February 14, 2026

So please don’t think I’m crazy — or a lot — when I tell you this. And definitely don’t think I’m some kind of badass for it either. I didn’t start running because I woke up one day disciplined, fearless or inspired by some deep inner calling. I started running because I was… influenced. When I was in my early 30s, everywhere I went — driving, walking, standing in a parking lot, heading into work — I saw people running. Always running. Any time of day. They had this carefree, almost smug ease about them. At first, my internal dialogue went something like, Oh look, a ...

When your closet is a size 6, but your life is a size 10

February 7, 2026

Here’s an embarrassing fact I’m choosing to share publicly — mostly because I know I’m not alone and partly because laughing at myself feels healthier than crying in my closet. I have two closets. Walk-in closets. Plus a dresser. All full of clothes. And yet everything is bursting at the seams. To help you visualize my problem, imagine a size 10 person trying to squeeze into a size 6 outfit. Buttoning the top? Maybe. Breathing? Questionable. Something definitely breaks in the process — physically, emotionally or structurally. That’s the relationship between my clothes and ...

When the show ends and you’re left with… yourself

January 31, 2026

I think it’s time for a small confession. I might have a problem. Not the kind that requires an intervention — unless that intervention involves someone gently taking the remote out of my hand and suggesting I go outside. I’m talking about shows. Favorite shows. Comfort shows. The ones you tell yourself you’re just going to watch “one episode” of, knowing full well you’re lying to yourself and anyone else within earshot. Is binge-watching a good thing or a bad thing? Honestly, I go back and forth. On one hand, there is something almost sacred about settling into the ...

Weathered, worn and still standing (with snacks)

January 24, 2026

Ever find yourself in other places in the world — or even just neighboring states — when the weather is not the best? Rain pouring down like the sky cracked open, snow blanketing the earth in that deceptively quiet way, or temperatures so frigid it doesn’t matter how covered you are, you’re still cold — even sitting in your own house. And in those moments, you catch yourself doing it. The observation. The comparison. The mild-to-severe judgment. How is it that this shuts everything down here? A little rain and schools are closed. A dusting of snow and grocery shelves are ...

Where the mind goes when life hits pause

January 17, 2026

I’ll start with a confession: I can absolutely be that person. You know the one. In “Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood,” there’s a line where someone says she likes to chew on a problem until all the flavor is gone — and then stick it in her hair. That’s me. I will think something through from every possible angle, worry about it, analyze it, turn it over again, and then — just when you think I’m done — circle back for one more bite. There are also those people. The new parent who can’t have a conversation without narrating what their baby just did — or ...

When the real problem actually is me

January 10, 2026

No one hands you a guidebook for what comes after you tell people something big. There’s no flowchart. No suggested scripts. No “if this, then say that” instructions. What you get instead is a wide range of well-meaning responses that somehow all manage to feel slightly off. Not wrong — just … not quite right. I know this about myself because this isn’t new behavior. When my father passed away. When my grandparents passed away. I was terrible at receiving sympathy then, too. I never quite knew what to do with it. I still don’t. Give me logistics, tasks, next steps — ...