For being such a short month, it seems like February should have flown by. I feel like I should look up surprised that March is here and wonder where the time went. Instead, each week of February felt like a month unto itself. The weeks felt disconnected and I got to the point where all I could do was ride it out. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, only that my expectations for the month (if I really had any, honestly) were nothing like what happened. Nothing. The theme for the Literary …
honest thoughts
How to Measure Happiness: January Recap
I don’t think I’m a very happy person naturally. It’s not a word I’d use to describe myself, and I’m always surprised when someone uses that word to describe me. I think it goes back to my Christian upbringing, which placed a higher premium on contentedness and joy than happiness. Happiness was fleeting, but joy could endure. I wonder now, as an adult and still a believer, if that’s true. Can we feel other emotions and still be happy? Can we feel the darkness and still be filled with joy? …
Shame, Hiding, and Moving Forward: A Brief Recap of Last Year
It’s hard to untangle the mess of last year, now that we’re in a new year with a fresh start. I chose the word nurture as my word of the year, hoping to gain more peace and rest, to step out of the hustle and be able to listen to the voice in my heart again. That’s exactly what nurture did for me, which wasn’t surprising. The surprising part was how—how it ripped away dreams and jobs, how I struggled within myself to let go of what I didn’t need anymore, how my family life and marriage …
Remember Who You Are: Some Thoughts on Turning Thirty-Seven
For my birthday, I made cider donuts instead of cake. It’s taken a few years, but I’ve finally figured out that we’re not cake people. We make a cake, eat it that first night, then it sits for days until it gets crusty or ants find it, both of which are gross and a huge waste. And because we have four gallons of fresh apple cider, I thought maybe birthday donuts would be interesting. I crossed my fingers and hoped they’d turn out. Making a cake would have been easier. At least, a box cake …
Finding Creativity in Daily Life
Last year, I took a class in fine art photography. It was an effort to dive deeper into my photography and figure out who I am as a photographer. I wanted the chance to explore and push myself. What it led me to was an ongoing conversation about what fine art photography is and what we mean when we say fine art. It was very philosophical and it ultimately got the wheels in my head turning about what creativity means to me. After much deliberation with my classmates, I turned to this definition: …