A Year of Firsts

Rediscovering magic in the everyday.

New Things

  • Random Shuffle

    Hi friends, I’ve missed you this month. It seems to me that either with the “year of firsts” being done, or that ever-present grief being much more quiet this year, I have not been inspired or compelled to write quite as much. I’ve been putting some thought into a few themes I could write on… Read more

  • Spring Check-in ’26

    Happy Mud Season to those who celebrate.  The ratio of days where it is not wholly unpleasant versus those that are just plain awful is slowly balancing out to a more even number, and just in time, too.  I was surprised to note that I am closing in on 40,000 words written here (6,500 so… Read more

  • Year One: That’s a Wrap

    Welcome back to January. I can’t believe it’s been a whole year since I started this writing journey.  Wait….that’s not true. I actually CAN believe it. I have felt every blessed minute of this past year. None of it flew by. Literally none of it. Even the parts that people usually say “wow, that flew… Read more

  • Seasonal discomfort

    This fall has felt so thick and syrupy to me for some reason, and I just haven’t felt much like doing anything. There are the regular things that need to get done, like feeding my people and cleaning the house, and doing the work I get paid to do, but otherwise, meh, just not interested… Read more

  • Thanks for Trying

    A few times in my life people have told me I was “really brave” for doing something that I didn’t find particularly brave at all. It was just….what I did.  My brave actions have included:  I’m sure there are more – these are just specific conversations I remember where the brave word came up, where… Read more

  • Big Spring Project

    Of all my firsts, my big clothing drive was the biggest, and I just finished it. It was a massive commitment. I started collecting in May, and finally delivered the goods on June 21. This all started because I thought it would be fun to host a book swap with some friends, get some free… Read more

  • Such a friendly person

    The other day, I was grabbing a coffee with a mom friend of mine. I got into a conversation with the woman behind the counter about eyewear: contacts versus glasses, bifocals, the cost of all this, etc. The barista had a lot to say, and she had a method she had discovered for stretching her… Read more

  • Collecting a Pile of Stuff

    I have meandered back and forth from my original intention here – which was to document the new things I do this year.  One thing I was interested in was planning some kind of event, and doing something fundraiser-y that wasn’t my job. For those who don’t know, I have been a non-profit fundraiser for… Read more