NOTE: I originally wrote this piece two years ago, in February 2020, while going through chemotherapy for stage 3 breast cancer. Though times have changed, my kids are still crazy. I had a really weird dream the other night. I was in a dimly-lit room, a combination movie theatre/computer lab/lecture hall. A large projector screenContinue reading “Two Under Two Plus Cancer”
Category Archives: Cancer
Press Restart
The other weekend, my husband and I took the kids sledding on a little hill behind our house. Even though it was only just barely above zero, we were bundled up warmly, and the kids screamed with laughter as they flew down the hill. Our youngest child bounced over a particularly wavy patch of frozenContinue reading “Press Restart”
Mini Self Care
What are your simplest “self care” suggestions and tips for stressful times?
Strength in Simple Words
Last week I went in for my annual mammogram, and the technologist recognized me instantly. “How old is your little guy now?” “He’ll be two on Sunday,” I said, surprising myself by how quickly time had passed. “Already?!” She couldn’t believe it either. At my very first mammogram, she’d met my son, who had onlyContinue reading “Strength in Simple Words”
Setting SMART Resolutions
This video is a follow-up to my resolutions post. I try skiing while holding my phone because I don’t have any fancy equipment. (This may already be painfully obvious, but I’m not cool, you guys.) Hopefully, this video can help you set your own SMART resolutions or revise your resolutions if you’re interested. Have youContinue reading “Setting SMART Resolutions”
My SMART Resolutions
I tend to set my New Year’s Resolutions like my teacher SMART goals: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. It’s an acronym that, if you’re a teacher, is probably emblazoned on the back of your mind. Much like the goals I set to help my students, each one of my resolutions needs to serve aContinue reading “My SMART Resolutions”
Two Year Cancerversary
On this day two years ago, I was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer. When you first get the call that you have cancer, you aren’t given a lot of information: the biopsy that you’ve received indicates malignant cells in your body, but you don’t yet know how far it has spread. Staging is determinedContinue reading “Two Year Cancerversary”
Poem: “When the sun stood still”
Kitchen windows slashed with early sunset My course of existence forever bent On a day knowing nine hours of light Came the call that left me sunspot-blind Cancer is a metaphor in many songs Scale notes and melodies painting with my blood The needle dips and drags late December’s paint Sunless days marked in tunnelsContinue reading “Poem: “When the sun stood still””
The Windy Road After Cancer
There are many days of overwhelming happiness and gratefulness to be a cancer survivor; however, the progress is not as straightforward as I’d expected….
Writing Goals from Your Unique Perspective
Can we strengthen our writing through specific goals and unique character perspectives? I hope so! I believe many of us writers are so passionate about our work because we hope to change the world in some way or inspire others through our thoughts and ideas. This video looks at my not-so-writerly life after my MAContinue reading “Writing Goals from Your Unique Perspective”
Words and Coffee Writing 