Like many in my generation and those that are coming after, I’ve been trying to get a handle on my screen-time use the last few years. I’ve tried many different strategies: deleting apps, trading a smartwatch for an analog, leaving the phone in a different room, setting limits and replacing technology with real-life hobbies. All of these have worked, for a while, but then I go back to my phone like a middle-aged woman to her stash of dark chocolate. Besides the inability to

A book open with a pen on top. I write to untangle the mess of tasks in my head. Because everyone else seems to know what they’re doing, but I can’t figure it out unless I’ve written it down in at least 3 places and checked it twice. I write because I’m no good at decorating my house, or creating quilts, or starting a beehive And I definitely don’t want to be on the PTA again. I write because when I wake up I can have a dialogue with real people going through my head Or one

From atop the mountain of one accomplishment, I gaze out at the next summit and hear the poet, Mary Oliver ask, “What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” and I pause, not knowing exactly which way to start. There are so many paths. On each of those paths are branches and cliffs and I know that there are only so many paths I can follow. Up until now, the path has been laid out for me by necessity and desire. These are things that I wanted to do for cer

I recently listened to The Woman at the Wheel by Penny Haw. This audiobook detailed the life of Bertha Ringer who was married to Karl Benz the inventor of the first horseless carriage, widely regarded as the father of the modern automobile. He spent his life designing and perfecting his inventions and she spent her life being interested in and supporting him and his work.. Like many books about women these days, this was a feminist empowerment book. Much of the theme of the

It’s not my fault you turned out the way you did: Strong, happy, Confident, kind. It’s not my fault you turned out the way you did: Scared, defiant, Angry, sad. It’s not my fault you got first place, or last, Took a chance, or didn’t, Saved a place or couldn’t. It’s not my fault they didn’t see your goodness, Or helped when they should have. It’s not my fault you chose a Twinkie when you should have had a salad, Or a salad when you should have had a twinkie. Though it may be

Why I read I read because of things I don’t have: Severe physical and mental difficulties Dyslexia ADHD A cruel or abusive spouse A full-time job A war-torn country Or an unsafe neighborhood And because of things I do: Time Attention Economic means Interest Ability Access to a library Education. I read because I couldn’t watch TV in the middle of the day while my toddlers were playing, but I could listen to a book. I read because focusing on my exhaustion at 2 am with a newbo