“I was a late bloomer. But anyone who blooms at all, ever, is very lucky. ”
- Sharon Olds
Never Good Enough: The Futility of Striving to Meet Others’ Expectations
Note from Ashley: I asked Randy to write a guest post for me, after coming across his book and story in a Facebook group. His post on his blog, The…
Sometimes It’s All We Can Do
Sometimes it’s all we can do to get out of bed. To shower. Make the bed. Sometimes it’s all we can do to keep showing up. To return that call.…
Alcohol Is Feeding Our Anxiety, Not Calming It
“I deserve a break,” is a thought that ran through my head on a regular basis. My chest was always tight. I burst into tears at the slightest provocation. Everything…
Staying Sober For The Ones Who Suffer
Years ago, a friend of mine shared out of the blue that she quit drinking. She joined AA and started writing about it. At the time, I was still drinking…
22 Months of Sobriety, One Day At a Time
I’m 22 months sober today. Woot woot! *confetti* Top – taken within the past 30 days. Sober, silly, grateful. Bottom left – 2013. Bottom right – 2010. Blacked out in…
Why I’m Happy To Be Angry: Recognizing Types of Anger
Before I quit drinking, I wouldn’t know I was angry until the tears started flowing. Yes, I had to be in tears before I knew I was upset about something.…
8 Harsh Truths You Need to Know During Your Divorce
Divorce is terrible. No matter how many jokes you hear about it, or how many people celebrate once it’s final, it’s a big deal for most of us. First, the necessary…
Anxiety is a Big, Stupid, Ugly Liar
Anxiety shows up in my life in the weirdest of ways. It’s not always panic attacks and meltdowns. Sometimes, it’s simply hiding. When I feel overwhelmed and anxious, I isolate…
No More Fear: Ignore the Stigma, Share Your Story
Before I quit drinking, I only knew one other person who actively chose sobriety over excessive drinking. One of my relatives had been to AA and sporadic recovery programs, but…
Ugh, Do We Really Have to be Experts?
I keep writing and giving up. I’ve started no less than 20 posts this week, only to quit one sentence or paragraph in. They’re still in drafts, in case inspiration…
How Learning to Build Websites Changed My Life
This is an excerpt from a guest post I wrote for Color U Bold. Read the entire post here! I never thought of myself as a creative. My friends were creatives.…
You Don’t Have to Be Perfect. Be Present.
I had to drop something off at my girls’ school this morning, and as I pulled up, I noticed the parking lot was full all the way to the street. There…
Why I Quit Drinking
Around two years ago, I had an epiphany. I’ve written about my decision to quit drinking elsewhere, but it’s time to talk about it here. My first child made her…
It’s Time to Show Yourself Some Tough Love
My kids will tell you that I am a “tough love” kind of mom. They’ll probably tell you other things, but you can’t believe everything you hear (unless it’s good…
5 Networking Tips for Introverts
In my previous life, “networking” meant binge drinking and pretending to be somebody else. I hid myself, because I didn’t know myself. Networking, to me, was just a bunch of people in suits…