I dressed in the vintage sweater I bought that November; it was like wearing an old memory. It hung too big on my frame and had seriously seen its best days long before it came into my possession but I loved it. And at ten dollars, I happily scooped it up, excited about our impending journey.I had worn it while we plucked the quail feathers for our wedding, sipping red wine out of coffee mugs in the backfield by the fading zinnias and carrots.
Read MoreWhen You Can't Get to Sleep /
thought I’d go to sleep early tonight.So of course here I am at 11:15 reaching for an entirely unnecessary IPA while this hurricane rattles the trees outside my window.
Read MoreWhen I'm Not Leaving /
It’s always been difficult for me to be present. Caught in daydreams, I’ve spent a good chunk of my life imagining what comes next – a different adventure, a change of scenery, the ideal life. All this distraction comes at a cost however and while constant change is good for the story, it’s oftentimes bad for the soul.
Read MoreAlone /
As any mother of small children will tell you, there’s never much time to be alone. And regardless of your profession or work status, mothering is a full-time position. I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t overwhelming. Some days it’s overwhelmingly full of big joy and laughter and other days it looks more like me barely keeping it all together, summoning all the patience I can manage to make it work.
Read MoreTo My Little Girl On the Occasion of Her First Birthday /
Today is the anniversary of when I went into labor with you. Last year I stared up at the moon and asked you to make your appearance. As I walked inside, my water broke. On the day you were born I sat on stairs outside of the hospital with a friend who had come to visit; I had left you with my mom inside and for the first time since I had discovered I was pregnant, I was alone. Valparaiso smoldered around us – the fire that had started the day prior was the largest in the city’s history and I was a new mother, heavy with the realization that I would never really be alone again.
Read MoreScratch /
My bleary eyes can barely read the message on my computer screen – I haven’t had my first (of the eventual four) cup of coffee yet – but I can already tell it’s not good. I swing my now toddler-sized baby from my right to left hip and scroll down to find more bad news; the municipality inspector who came out to view our property yesterday has said there really is no way to legalize our Chilean home, a crushing realization that puts the final nail in the coffin on a dream we thought would equate with monetary compensation, if we chose to sell rather than stay. Shit. After being up all night with my teething daughter, I don’t even have the words to respond.
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