On my birthday, I exhaled into a new word: Freedom. For nearly three weeks of my new age of 43, I've been letting this word show me what it means. So far, Freedom means giving away the shoes that hurt my feet. I have long heard women older than me say things like, "I am […]
I have always been the caboose, always at the end of the line putting all my people in front of me. I was pushing a stroller, then a double stroller, then a stroller again. Sometimes with a toddler beside me, but always still in front of me. From the moment they were mobile, I have […]
This week, I learned that Sepsis does not, in fact, have the power to take from me every man I love. On Thursday, my dad had a minor out-patient procedure. On Friday, he had a fever and started acting strange. On Saturday morning, my mom called 9-1-1. She called me. "They're on their way." "What's […]
Knock, Knock. Who's there? Something that should matter to you. Something that should matter to you - who? Yes. And also Where and When and How and For What Purpose and For What Cause. Everything matters. There's so much to care about. Everybody is giving me more things to care about. The headlines are […]
If she tells you she wishes her car got better gas mileage, that doesn't mean she wishes she'd never learned to drive. If she tells you she didn't like the middle of the book, that doesn't mean it wasn't worth reading. If she tells you she doesn't love her job, that doesn't mean she won't […]
Well done, Simone. Well done. We don’t own you, Simone. Nobody does. We have showed you off like you are our prize pony, but you are nobody's work horse. You knew in your heart that this doesn't define you. That you are enough. I cannot get over this display of greatness, dear girl […]
"Coming up with a new recipe to feed the family, or even putting together a presentation for a new client may not typically be thought of as creative acts, but they are. Creativity is about choices, training, experimentation, inspiration, history, commitment, and fun. Every occupation - from artist to businessperson, teacher to chef - […]
Thirteen Things I Learned from my Dad: 1. If you're going to get in trouble at school, let it be for talking too much to all of your many friends. Sociable is not a bad thing. 2. When putting together an outfit, choose the least noticeable color in the busier item, and make that your […]
I feel like I don't know how to do Good Friday well enough. It feels like when I love someone so much that I want to celebrate them so big, but nothing seems big enough to match the crazy affections of my heart, so I do almost nothing because I am paralyzed to do anything. […]
There are so many things that are difficult about being a person right now. There is what there has always been, And there is a long list of what has never been before. There are the dishes in the sink, And there are the cereal boxes left open on the bottom shelf of the pantry. […]
Tricia said: "Laptop, Open Manuscript." And the Laptop said, "File Not Found." Tricia said: "Look again, laptop. Find it, please." And the Laptop said, "File Not Found." I had spent weeks working on my second round of edits for my new book, This Book Is For You: Loving God's Words in Your Actual Life. And […]
"Because this business of becoming conscious, of being a writer, is ultimately about asking yourself, How alive am I willing to be?" ~ Anne Lamott I wrote a piece last week that got chewed to bits on the interwebs. Chewed. To. Bits. I mean, not by everyone. Probably not by you. But enough people pecked […]
I read recently about an interview with author Nora Roberts, where someone asked her how to balance writing and kids. (Anything of this specific genre grabs my attention faster than a barista calling out the cup with my name on it.) She said the key to juggling is to know that some of the balls […]
I am forty-one years old. That happened this summer. I am solid in my emotional convictions about birthdays (love them) but also odd numbers (hate them), but forty-one seems to be here for a while longer, and we are becoming friends. Since I am the age that I am, I feel old enough to finally […]
Three things have happened, and they are sorting themselves into the same space of my mind, as if they belong there together. First, I sat outside during a summer evening rain shower. The tasks of the day were finished, we were in the after-dinner space of each doing our own thing, and I was sitting […]
Today, I said thank you to the Starbucks barista who made my Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew, even though she is complicit in my addiction. I won't press charges as long as she keeps making that goodness that unabashedly defines autumn for my soul. Today, I said thank you to my dad, who gave me a […]
Back when I was navigating the long days with little people, some researchers endeared themselves to me with a released study that indicated that stay-at-home parents have 30+ hours of leisure time each week. They implied there's no reason to complain about busyness or exhaustion, because really, most of it's leisure time. Back then, a […]
"Tricia, how can I stop living in fear? I’m worried that something will happen to the person I love. How can I keep this fear from paralyzing me?” I posted this dialogue back in October, back when we were all roaming the aisles of grocery stores, like the people next to us were safe […]
Have you noticed? We have become people who are counting. We are counting things. We are counting days. We are counting people on the walking trail. Counting people who are sick - and even sweeter, counting the people who have recovered. We have stepped into the forest, and we can literally count the trees. One […]
A few years ago, I kept things lively with a special treat for the boys each day of spring break. One day, we visited the arcade with a handful of quarters for their glorious spending pleasure. Tuck spent his coins on experiences: virtual motorcycle rides and shooting galleries. Tyler spent his coins and best efforts […]
