The Ups and Downs of a Grief Journey I was in the process of writing a different article, one about how to live a life to be proud of, not one about saying goodbye. But, as with any grief journey, there are good days and bad and I’ll eventually get to that article, just not today. Today wasn’t the worst, but it could have been a better one. I’ve had more than a few not-so-great days this week. Because my blog just turned two, and June will be four years since my husband’s departure, I think it’s all made me a little sad, especially in the mornings when I try to write.  I thought I had a r ..read more

Daily writing prompt Describe a random encounter with a stranger that stuck out positively to you. View all responses I was adopted at six weeks old. I’ve always been curious about my birth families my entire life. Finally, in 2005, I decided to try to find them. Once I learned my birth mother’s name, it wasn’t long until I found and connected with her family. She, however, has wanted nothing to do with me or them, but this story isn’t about that. I’m in retail, and my primary job is selling our products, and training, and developing the brand within our retail partners. One day, I was stand ..read more

Preface: This is a warning that I have been trying to write something for a while, but I am all over the place. Over the past couple of weeks, I have had so many thoughts and ideas about what I want to write about. I would start, then stop, and not finish anything. I kept coming to the breaking point. Furthermore, it always seemed like I had so much to say, but nothing coagulated into a coherent article. Hence, I’ve been dealing with so much, so many emotions. I’ve been in therapy for over a month dealing with feelings I’ve buried and, at the same time, feelings I’m experiencing now, but I don ..read more

Writing prompt: What are your morning rituals? What does the first hour of your day look like? When asked this question, I had to think about it for a while. My morning rituals have evolved over the years. Mostly because of the house or space I am inhabiting. I spend my first few minutes just observing the day. I look outside and check the weather, then make my way to the bathroom for the necessities. Next comes the kitchen for my morning cup of whatever. Today it is coffee, sometimes it could be tea. Next, I take care of the resident cats and dogs. I used to say it was a good day when I didn ..read more

Suffering Boundary Issues as a Child When I was young, elementary school as I recall, someone gifted me a diary for my birthday. My love of paper and books was already brightly blooming, so this was an amazingly wonderful gift. I remember it well. It was brown with gold trim. The front said, “My Diary.” It wasn’t more than 5″x7″, but it had this little closure piece wrapped around the right side with a hole and two little keys. Each page had a tight rule, and I remember thinking, “Can I write that small?” I admired this little magical book for some time without ever writing a word. I often won ..read more

There was once a time not long ago when I never thought I would entertain any thought of another person other than my husband. When he left me in June of 2020 amidst a pandemic, in the middle of our new life together, in a new town, in a new state, it consumed me. The thought of moving on was paralyzing. This amazingly huge loss, this monumental life defeat, was all I could think about, night and day. So, after becoming somewhat stable, I embarked on a quest. One to find myself and reclaim anything left of the life I would have here without him in it. I certainly wasn’t looking to move on, al ..read more

We Can’t Always Recognize It I’ve been doing a lot of research on narcissistic personality disorder for my upcoming book. However, during this time, I have discovered and researched another type of abuse, which is just as insidious. I wanted to talk and bring light to what’s called verbal abuse. It is categorized as a type of emotional abuse and can have severe and long-lasting effects on a person’s mental health and well-being. It can also be just as damaging as physical abuse. It’s essential to recognize the signs and take steps to address them. In this blog, we’ll explore some of the common ..read more

What are Positive Affirmations? I remember watching the movie “The Devil Wears Prada” for the very first time. Being in fashion, I adored this movie immensely. When Emily repeated to herself, “I love my job. I love my job. I love my job.” something inside me took notice. She was using the power of positive affirmations to convince herself she loved something she really didn’t. So I thought to myself, “Does this really work, and is it something I should be doing?” Now, I’ve never been one for self-doubt. I believe in manifestation wholeheartedly. If there were a way to succeed, I would find it ..read more

Daily writing prompt Tell us about your favorite pair of shoes, and where they’ve taken you. View all responses These boots were purchased in the fall of 2017 to go to festivals. They’ve been to: -2017 Escape Halloween (San Bernardino, CA) -2018 EDC (Las Vegas, NV) -2018 Escape Halloween (San Bernardino, CA) -2019 EDC (Las Vegas, NV) -2019 Freaky Deaky (Baytown, TX) -2021 Hard Summer (San Bernardino, CA) -2022 Escape Halloween (San Bernardino, CA) -And Various Other Shows and Concerts They are now retired, but the reason they are so special is because they took me to shows not only with my ..read more

Moving Into Another Year This year felt a little different going in. I don’t know why. As they say, the fog is lifting, and I’m beginning to see things clearer in my new life after loss. The one day I’ve been dreading quickly approached. As those closest to us know, Eric and I were married on Friday the 13th in 1998. He chose this day. It was the implication of it all. He loved the drama of being different and seeing others’ reactions. I loved that about him. Even so, the number 13 proved to be a good number for us in many ways. The first year, in 2021, I took myself on a solo trip to the beac ..read more