Category: Life

It was a lazily romantic summer morning…slow and steamy. I sipped my oat milk latte, sitting angled toward Mr. H on the park bench in front of the cerulean lake. Time stood still as we gazed at each other while gentle waves lapped against the shore.

Suddenly a black mass came gliding toward me, zig-zagging through the sky at an incredible speed. It crashed into my face with a buzzing thud, hitting somewhere between my left ear and my cheek. Then, it was gone.

I clutched the side of my face, feeling violated but unsure by what. “What the hell just happened?”

The symphonic park sounds commenced, joined by a new sound from Mr. H…uncontrollable laughter. “Dragonflies. Fucking.”

We died laughing. It turned out that horny dragonflies were exactly what we needed.

Continue reading “Reflections After Mating Dragonflies Crashed Into My Face” →

We’re at the halfway point of 2020…congratulations. If you’re reading this right now, you likely need an escape from the circus that is 2020.

I’m not going to rehash the excitement from the first half of the year, or speculate about which inconceivable acts we’ll see next. Instead, I’d like us to share an intermission together—to stretch our legs and get some air.

I’m going to talk about a different circus that changed my life, positively and permanently. Perhaps you’ll relate to it in some small way, and it will help you figure out how to execute your balancing act.

Continue reading “When Life Feels Like a Circus” →

Mr. H and I quietly celebrated our 15-year wedding anniversary this past week. It was the quietest celebration we’ve ever had. No romantic getaway, no dinner date. It was just us. In our apartment where we work and sleep.

There is one thing this year has taught many of us…introspection.

Whether you wanted to be introspective or not, turning inward was something you ended up doing during the quarantine. That introspection brought many realizations you might not have been prepared to face. That introspection made your life flash before your eyes, but in slow motion. That introspection made you stop and notice the birds for a change.

FOMO was eliminated. There was no longer a need to fear that you were missing out on anything, because nothing was going on. Social media posts changed from fashionable ensembles to sweat pants, from exotic destinations to messy living rooms, from being seen to being seen by no one.

Home life got real. Married couples grappled with an issue they never thought would be an issue…spending too much time together.

Continue reading “Love is About Us and Nothing Else” →

A bird hit me in the side of the head once. It didn’t shit on me. It flew into my head, then flew away.

I was sitting in a parking lot in Dallas on a 100+ degree summer afternoon back in 2007. I sat on the curb in my fancy work outfit, my ass burning on the sidewalk. Of all things, I was wearing fitted black trousers…as if I wasn’t hot enough already.

I was at a low point that I won’t get into. I didn’t cry, because I was far past the point of crying. I sat there—staring at the steamy parking lot, sweating in my personal inferno.

My mind was so jumbled with negative thoughts that it felt like my brain was ready to boil over. I didn’t notice anything around me. A ridiculously happy parade could have gone by and I would never have noticed.

Continue reading “Stop and Notice the Birds” →

Living on the West Coast of the United States is a dream for many. Temperatures are mild, nature is accessible, and the food is incredible. So, why in the hell would anyone ever leave the West Coast?

Well, I’ve left the West Coast twice in my lifetime. I grew up in Southern California—I spent ages 2-20 in San Gabriel Valley—and I moved to Texas in December of 2001. Most recently I spent 6 years in Portland, Oregon and moved back to Milwaukee, Wisconsin…where I lived from 2009-2014.

In other words, I moved to Texas right after 9/11 and I moved to Wisconsin in the middle of COVID-19. These are two of the most tragic and impactful moments I can think of in my lifetime. But, they are NOT the reasons I moved away from the West Coast.

Continue reading “Why I Left Portland and Moved Back to Milwaukee” →