5 days agoMember-onlyYou’re the Best Friend I Never Knew I NeededYou ground me, raise me up, and make me better — I’ve known you most of my life, but we became really close during my senior year of university. Some of my roommate relationships started to fit like a scratchy sweater and setting out for a tour of campus provided the downtime I needed. It was just you, me, and a…Walking4 min readWalking4 min read
Published in Wholistique·Mar 19Member-onlyThe Reason I Feel Lonely Has Nothing To Do With A Lack Of FriendsThe power of holding space — I was telling a friend about a situation I was struggling with. I hadn’t even finished my story when she responded with: “Oh, I’ve had that happen. It was during….” And she was off. Okay, I guess the talking stick is yours now. This isn’t a bad person. She’s a…Relationships4 min readRelationships4 min read
Published in Crow’s Feet·Mar 8Member-onlySo, I Slipped In The Shower TodayWelp! That escalated quickly — Today started off pretty unremarkably with me perusing Medium for a few good reads. By the time I was stepping into the shower, I was ruminating over something I can’t recall. …Aging3 min readAging3 min read
Published in The Narrative Arc·Feb 27Member-onlyHow Do You Figure Out You’re Codependent When You Can’t Ask For Help?Finally learning who I am in midlife — The explosion came from nowhere. The data analyst and desktop publisher hadn’t completed their part of our project, despite my having given them a week to do it. “You gave us too much time,” Ron (not his real name) said, as they both laughed. He was implying that by giving…This Happened To Me5 min readThis Happened To Me5 min read
Published in ILLUMINATION·Feb 12Member-onlyMy Medium Article Is On The First Page of Google Search!The simple SEO steps I took to get there — A few days ago I was scrolling through my past articles, checking the stats. It’s a good idea to do this now and again because Medium is a funny place where articles can take on new life months after publishing. As I was scrolling, I noticed an article I published…Google Ranking5 min readGoogle Ranking5 min read
Published in ILLUMINATION·Feb 7Member-onlyThe 4 Best Black Feminist Commentary Channels For AlliesPrepare to be informed, entertained, and challenged — I watch a lot of YouTube videos and I’ll be the first to admit, it can be a real waste of time. However, I occasionally go down a rabbit hole into someplace really special. That’s what happened when I discovered Black feminist commentary channels about five years ago. Suddenly a…Black History Month4 min readBlack History Month4 min read
Published in ILLUMINATION·Jan 31Member-onlyOn Boundaries — Too Little Stress Is Just As Bad As Too MuchSaying “no” may not be as freeing as we think — Once again, I’m way too early for my flight. They tell you to get to the airport two hours in advance, but post-pandemic, it seems fewer people are traveling — at least in the off-season. I’ve spent so much time at airports on my last few trips I can almost…Stress5 min readStress5 min read
Published in Fresh Files·Jan 21Member-onlyI Found a Viable Alternative to AirbnbThat actually contributes to local economies — There’s no shortage of negative press about Airbnb these days. The company that started out as a genius idea has had numerous detrimental impacts on cities around the world, and the people that live there. Between that and new fees being introduced to guests, many travelers are hesitating to use…Travel4 min readTravel4 min read
Published in Globetrotters·Jan 17Member-onlyIs A Female Solo Traveler Really That Suspicious?Customs agents seem to think so — I’ve been solo traveling on and off for about 10 years. It has its cons but I appreciate being able to visit places that may not be on my friends’ agendas. In my 20s I meekly went with others to places I was only mildly interested in. …Travel4 min readTravel4 min read
Published in Crow’s Feet·Jan 10Member-onlyIf You Could Find Out How You’re Going To Die, Would You Do It?I had the rare opportunity to find out if I will follow in my family’s footsteps — Many years ago, I was invited to participate in a groundbreaking research study. It wasn’t because I had any particular skills, but because I may have special genes. Not the good kind of special. My family’s medical history is clean in some respects. There’s little presence of breast cancer, diabetes…Health4 min readHealth4 min read
