Last year’s Disney film Encanto was a powerful and endearing musical. It did a fantastic job of addressing how intergenerational trauma can lead to dysfunctional family roles. Of course, the song that most resonated with me was the one sang by the oldest sister, Luisa, “Surface Pressure.” Like her, I was seen as the strong… Continue reading Learning How to Rest
My blog posts are lengthy. I am in the habit of choosing broad subjects with a great deal of nuance to consider. As pretty much everyone I’ve ever met has told me, “You bite off more than you can chew.” This has led in recent years to inconsistent blog posts. I will sometimes miss an… Continue reading High Stakes and Long-Winded Takes
I’ve written less than ever this year. I’ve been busy with school and therapy, but I’ve also allowed the perfect to become the enemy of the good. I’ve been unlearning my writing assumptions and learning how to write more proficiently. More than all that, I’ve been taking many hard lessons in humility. My place in… Continue reading Urgency and Perfectionism
For many years, I didn’t believe that marriage was for me because of its conservative connotations. However, conservatives don’t own the joy of community celebration. Now I understand that marriage is about kindred spirits joining in the hope of a future together. I’m excited to be getting married soon! What marriage means to conservatives: The… Continue reading The Meaning of Marriage
I am excited to announce that I’m getting married! My partner Ryann and I have been talking for months about how we want to express our commitment to each other. We’ve grown close and developed a deep mutual trust over the years. In this post, I want to share some thoughts on how my perspective… Continue reading I’m Engaged!
When I was still riding in a car-seat, my mom liked to play Christian songs for kids on tape. One of them went, “I’m in-right, outright, upright, downright happy all the time!Since Jesus Christ came inAnd cleansed my heart from sinI’m in-right outright upright downright happy all the time!” My mom would often tell me… Continue reading Daughters of Patriarchy, Part 3: Embracing Oppression
Content note: this post briefly mentions rape but does not go into detail. Patriarchy has layers of subtlety. Our society, culture, and world are all patriarchal. Men don’t have to understand the word “patriarchy” to benefit from it. In a patriarchal setting, sons are of more worth than daughters, because sons carry on their father’s… Continue reading Daughters of Patriarchy, Part 2: Denial
I didn’t know the word, but as a very young child, I knew that my dad was a patriarch. I was four years old when I knew my parents were trying for a son. Dad had adopted two daughters, my two older sisters, who mom had from prior relationships. As the first biological child of… Continue reading Daughters of Patriarchy, Part 1: Sexual Obsession
Answering a bunch of questions and explaining why and how I can move toward financial stability and sustainability. I wish I could say that I’m doing a lot to support others. The truth is that I’m fighting to survive, and I do what little I can. The only reason I was able to make it… Continue reading Reaching for Stability and Sustainability
One of my favorite authors passed away two days ago. Her name was Barbara Ehrenreich, and I continue to draw inspiration from her. She wrote with cutting passion about injustice and inequality. She also carried a severe skepticism toward every assumption, resulting in honest revelations about even the most difficult subjects. In over twenty books,… Continue reading Revealing Poverty: The Legacy of Barbara Ehrenreich