Safe or Free

My heart is wild, most hearts are. But as adults we learn to set boundaries for our hearts, to tame them, to keep ourselves Safe. To contain our wildness, to channel it in appropriate ways. To be rational, realistic, responsible. None of these things are bad, persay. But sometimes the heart needs to be set […]

Epiphany

Today is Epiphany, or the 12th day after Christmas. Traditionally, Epiphany is the day for commemorating the “Three Wise Men” that visited baby Jesus in the nativity story. Many people are more familiar with the word “epiphany” referring to a revelation that changes you, your perspective, your world in some important way. “I’ve had an […]

That Fresh Feeling

As the sun sets on the last day of a rather difficult year, here’s a few good things worth celebrating…

The Final Stretch: Christmas Ode to Samwise Gamgee

A Christmas Ode to everyone who has been a Samwise Gamgee to me this year.

Recalculating

There was an amazing Jeep ad awhile back playing with the theme of Google Maps’ constant recalculating: “In 300 metres turn left… Recalculating.” “Go straight to a steady job… Recalculating.” (Woman looks at positive pregnancy test)… “Recalculating.” You get the idea. In the last few years of my life, I have had to do a […]

One Year Later

I may have forgotten my wedding anniversary this year, which is its own kind of victory. But this day I have seen coming for a while, looming darkly on the horizon. And now it is here. One year ago today I experienced the worst day of my life when my entire world shattered into dust. For […]

Xylophone, Stardust, Dragonborn

Friends, family, citizens of the Internet, I need your help. It’s one of those pesky details I’ve been avoiding addressing through this whole super fun adventure of becoming unmarried. What about that whole name thing? This is always the hardest question for me when I’m building a character in video games, and when I got […]

Soundtrack of a Life Apocalypse

I desperately want to write, but I can’t find the words. There are, however, so many words. Words set to music that have been my comfort, my motivation, my lifeline, my determination, my soundtrack. I hesitate to share them with you: family, friends, and Internet strangers because, although they are mostly well-known, sharing them with […]

New Game Plus

It’s not the first time I’ve used a video game metaphor for my life, and it won’t be the last. Unlike video games, there is no reset button on life. But much like some of my favourite video games, there is a a way to take the experiences, items and elements from a previous play […]

How To Survive a Marriage Apocalypse

From a safe vantage point of The Other Side Of The Planet, I am beginning to take some time to process what I have been through. “Always Forward” has gotten me through the immediate aftermath of my marriage apocalypse, but the intention was never to ignore the past forever. In order to truly move forward, […]