I woke up to a snow globe exploding outside my window this morning. Billions of tiny snowflakes flurrying in the bitter winter breeze looked like a scene from a Hallmark Christmas movie dream. Only problem is that it’s MARCH and my patience with winter weather has long expired (and I can’t stand Hallmark movies— please forgive). It is no secret …
Year End Letter
Dear 2021,We held our breath as you entered the scene. We’d just left a year full of unexpected plot twists and a nearly unbearable heaviness. We waited to exhale, for you to bring the moment we could finally breathe easy again. But if that moment came, I think I missed it. I’ll give you the credit of being less catastrophic …
Hello, Can You Hear Me?
In all of the courses or books on writing I have consumed (and the number is many because I am a great collector of shiny new experiences), almost all of them have advised me to write to an audience of one. Instead of worrying about appealing to everyone, picture one face and write only to them. Through the years of …
Desert
I woke up in the middle of the night with possibly the worst pain I have ever felt. I say “possibly” because my flare for the dramatic clearly made me forget childbirth altogether. But in that moment, I was positive that the massive canker sore on my bottom lip was causing more pain than anything else in my entire 30 …
Year End Letter
Dear 2020, You were a wildly unpopular year, and it would be quite the understatement to say everyone is happy to see you go. I wasn’t your biggest fan either, but I don’t think flipping the calendar page means we are done with you. I don’t think we’ll ever really be though with you, to be honest. You are a …
Hello Again.
Hi, I’m Marilla. Maybe you remember me? It sure has been awhile, hasn’t it? I’d like to give you a good reason for my absence. Heck! I’d really like to cast all the blame on the destructive mess of 2020. But the truth is, I have just been tired. So, so very tired. And I have a suspicion that you …
Transition Season
I say my favorite season is fall, but more accurately my favorite season is the transition between summer and fall. As far as I know, there isn’t really a name for it, probably because it isn’t actually a “season” to begin with. But my adoration for it has magnified it into a full fledged one, the same way I’ll never concede Pluto …
Control
“Don’t stress what you can’t control.” It’s the first thing I read on Instagram today. The quote was surrounded by a wreath of flowers, I guess to evoke the same sense of serenity as the words themselves. The image was an AD for a picture I could purchase to hang up on my wall, presumably to remind myself every day …
Fear’s Many Faces
Fear is no stranger to me. I have been acquainted with Fear as far back as I can remember. I’m familiar with its many faces and tactics— Sometimes it is eerie, creeping up unexpectedly. Sometimes it likes to be flashy, jumping out and seizing you abruptly. Sometimes it is a tease, subtly making you feel its effects without even understanding …
Body Image
I bought two pair of shorts this weekend. Maybe to you that fact is as mundane as the sentence I wrote to tell you about it, but it’s kind of a big deal in my world. I previously owned one pair that I’d only wear when I was doing some sort of water activity because shorts seemed better than the …