I don't think anyone can fully prepare you for how pivotal it is to become a mother. It's not that they don't try. In fact, when you're expecting, you may find everyone from your great aunt to your coworkers to well-meaning strangers dole out parenting advice. Whether they're parents or not, many know the searing … Continue reading Becoming
I’m halfway through Ross Gay’s essay collection, The Book of Delights, which has enlightened my gratitude practice. My practice, which I call “evening pages,” is a spin on creative guru Julia Cameron’s morning pages—three long-hand pages on any topic you want, done first thing in the morning. Instead of every morning, I do this at … Continue reading Spring is coming
You can build a wall with words;brick by brick, stack up fear and hate.Sir, the wall you seek?It’s already standing. Here is the ugly truth: this nation was built through genocide, on the backs of slaves, upon the false principle whiteness reigns supreme. Here is another truth: my family is no different than those at … Continue reading A word about walls
“Are you sure you’re ready for this?” he asked, looking at me in the mirror. From height of my salon chair, I studied myself. Some iteration of long hair has been my look the majority of my adult life. My senior year of college I received a poorly executed shorter cut that left me emotionally … Continue reading This year, I want to be brave
In my early twenties, I worked for a large, progressive Presbyterian church on Chicago’s Gold Coast. I’d graduated in 2008 with dreams of working for a magazine or newspaper, but this was the year of the financial crisis and although unpaid internships beckoned, I could not afford to take them. I needed a paying job. … Continue reading Gets better with age
About a month ago in August, after a three-day work trip to Boston, I stopped breastfeeding my son. He was 17 months old, and my husband and I thought this trip was a good opportunity to wean him. Prior to the trip, he comfort nursed twice a day, in the mornings and evenings. I dropped … Continue reading How I coped with weaning my son
“Are you going to interview me now?” he asked expectantly. My colleague and I had just wrapped some video interviews at the church we were visiting, and had no intention of filming more. Yet I could see something in this man’s eyes—not desperation—an earnestness, a longing to be heard, that made me reconsider. “Sure!” I … Continue reading Everyone has a story
