During the lowest lows of my illness, I found myself continuing suggesting that we watch Braveheart. I watched the film a many times, and I've listened to the soundtrack thousands of times. Why is that? Sure, Mel Gibson is a stud. James Horner and the London Symphony Orchestra are, of course, brilliant. I like the... Continue Reading →
Treasures and Atrocities At the Summit
I was Girl Scouts for many years. Along with camping, sewing, summer camps, and cookie sales, my troop did a lot hiking. One of our favorite trails was Squaw Peak. I remember watching Bank One Ballpark, home of the Diamondback's baseball team, being built, circa 1996-1997. I also remember squealing when my friends and I... Continue Reading →
Ain’t Nothing Wrong With Being Average
When I first arrived at university, I was quiet, naive, and completely unprepared. My first semester, I failed Calculus, struggled through Spanish, and was drowning in Donne, Locke, Kant, Descartes, and Nietzsche. College was much harder than I had expected. My parents prioritized their children's education over all else, so my siblings and I attended... Continue Reading →
How You Do Anything Is How You Do Everything
I graduated from college in the midst of a recession. With my bachelor's degree in-hand, I moved back into my parents' house and applied to every open position within a ten-mile radius. I accepted my first offer, working for minimum wage at local bowling alley. After a year of continued applications, I was offered an... Continue Reading →
The Benefits of Being Selfishness
When I was eleven, I visited my grandparents at their summer beach home in California. When we stopped by the gift shop, I picked out trinkets for my parents and siblings. I didn't asked for anything for myself. Throughout my entire life, people always commented on or recalled stories of my selflessness and, for years,... Continue Reading →
Zooming Out
Last year, I attended my grandfather's funeral. He had ninety good years, always surrounded by family and beaming with laughter. At his memorial service, people shared funny stories. There was that time he performed in Laughlin with his retirement community as the Andrews Sisters, and the three elderly men in dresses waltzed through the casino.... Continue Reading →
Be An Investigator Of Your Reality
Today, I woke up with blocked meibomian glands. Meibomian glands are lipid glands along the rims of the eyelid inside the tarsal plate, which produce an oily substance to prevent the evaporation of tears. Mine are selectively operational. The fatty substance blocks the exit, creating small cysts, leaving my eyes red and dry. This is... Continue Reading →
Counterbalance
When I was first diagnosed with valley fever in 2015, the radiologist noted mild scoliosis of the thoracic spine along with the fungal and bacterial infections filling my lungs. After eight years on the back burner, yesterday I finally saw someone about it. The practitioner is a chiropractor, though he doesn't adhere to the "snap,... Continue Reading →
Small Habits Make a Big Difference
When we watch people make small choices, like snacking on some carrots instead of a candy bar, the difference of a few hundred calories doesn't seem to matter much. In the moment, that's true. However, as days turn to weeks and weeks to months and months to years, those tiny habitual choices compound. The same... Continue Reading →
The Power Of Intention-Setting In Chronic Illness
In my early-twenties, I would spend each December crafting a long list of goals for the coming year. At a bare minimum, it involved performing 100 random acts of kindness, reading 52 books, trying 26 new recipes, and learning 3 new skills. It was my resolution, each year, to keep learning and continue growing. At... Continue Reading →
8 Underrated Skills & Traits
Yesterday, I shared some thoughts on the importance of effort and skills in achieving success. So, I thought I would elaborate on that post with some less obvious skills and traits one might acquire to better situate themself on the path to success. 8 Underrated Skills & Traits 1. Reading comprehension Develop an expansive vocabulary,... Continue Reading →
The Space of Possibility
My journal ran out of blank pages this week, so I sent my boyfriend to retrieve some things from the condo. He donned the P3 respirator and goggles, and went inside. When he emerged, he was not carrying any of the items I had requested. He found the blank moleskin notebooks I collect each Christmas,... Continue Reading →
Letting Go
This week, we learned that we will likely be losing our home. Well, it's not quite that simple. Our HOA sent a third-party mold tester to our home last week. We sent him inside to do his thing and waited patiently outside in the 118° heat. He drilled dozens of holes in the drywall, took... Continue Reading →
Is The Pandemic An Opportunity Or An Excuse?
Well, 2021 is coming to a close and what a year it has been! I think most of us were hoping the untrained engineer would return to his post and let us off this rickety roller coaster. But, no such luck! However, I keep returning to something author Scott Adams said at the start of... Continue Reading →
No Failure is Final
It's early December and my mind is bursting with inspiration, gratitude, and hope. I've just emerged from a month-long energy slump and am chomping at the bit to play catch-up. The final month of the year, at least in recent years, has been fraught with tension. Seven years ago this month, my cousin passed away;... Continue Reading →
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