Or, the macro nature of microaggressions — My ex-husband was a reptile fiend. He knew all about the reptile expositions and when they were coming to town. His brain was jam-packed with random animal facts. Truly, a fascinating man. He asked to buy roaches to feed our pet leopard gecko. He also had dreams of putting mice…

Their steadiness is what grounds me — My kittens entered my life when they were just six months old. I still have a picture of my girl standing next to a bag of sugar, just to show how little she was. …

Sometimes, self-reflection doesn’t look good on me — I don’t celebrate most major holidays, but that’s never stopped the holidays from requiring something from me. Every year, the day after Halloween marks the beginning of one of the busiest seasons at my job. This year was no exception. As a general rule in life, I brake for nobody…

K thx I was a placemat kid. In my younger days, I had an educational placemat for just about everything: the world map, the planets, numbers, you name it. I look back and count myself as blessed. I paid attention to what was on my placemats as much as, if…

Telling tales told without trepidation — Many thanks to Sheri Jacobs for this writing prompt, and to B.R. Shenoy for inspiring me to try this challenge out, myself. 10-Word Stories My attempt at this fun challengemedium.com Elvie Lins takes incredible nature photographs that complement her nature-inspired poetry. You can check out her piece about autumn here: I was Admiring the Last Color of Fall Before I left Austriamedium.com

Now, I am one of them — Exhaustion is real. The chronic kind that doesn’t seem to dissipate with sleep, the kind that lingers beneath my exterior that is bubbly, caffeinated delirium. I remember everything. I don’t remember anything. Every other heartbeat contradicts the one that came before it, challenging my status as a living being, calling…

Learning to accept all of me — I must admit, I am a little late to the party. Inspiration for this piece was drawn from the KTHT prompts for the week ending in 10/30. “I have been and still am a seeker, but I have ceased to question stars and books; I have begun to listen to…

Maybe I’m being made new — I used to live for the first winter snow, back when I was a kid. I’m not sure if I enjoyed the winter, per se, or if it was something that I simply counted on. Something consistent when a prevailing theme of my childhood was inconsistency. The first snow was…

The only way out is through — Twenty-four hours of driving within two days, heaven help me. Some people are impressed by my fortitude as if that fortitude is actually a choice. The option I choose is the only option available. I drive with Jesus so I never have to travel alone. Still. I think about asking…