My Aunt Donna would have turned 60 years old today. She died in May, a few days after my 35th birthday, 6 months after being diagnosed with lung cancer. It happened fast. It happened painfully. But she's not here anymore, so it feels like all that really matters is: It happened. I remember the ... read more
HerStry Mental Health Series Featured Essay
I am so excited to be featured on HerStry as part of their March Monthly Theme Essay series! Click here to read my essay. HerStry publishes essays and poetry by only women and woman-identifying writers. It's such a welcoming, empowering space where even humble lil bloggers like me can ... read more
A Playlist for Moving On
In my most recent post, I wrote: "I wish I could be one of those girls in a song about having a crazy night out with her girlfriends to forget her ex, and then *poof* ALL BETTER. But I’m not, and I never will be." It's true. BUT, there are some really great songs by women artists about every ... read more
An Open Door
I've spent the better part of the last 11 years loving someone who didn't love me back. I wrote this about him three-and-a half-years ago: "I think 7 years is way too long to be in love with someone you will never be with. And now feels like the perfect time to attempt to let go." I didn't let ... read more
It’s Gonna Work Out. —or— Oops, I’m a Sponge.
Last summer I spent 10 days in Ukraine at a camp for kids with disabilities. On one of my last evenings there, I sat for two hours on a little slatted wooden bench painted in primary colors and made for butts much smaller than mine. It was July. It was rainy. I was tired. That night, all the ... read more
When It’s Worth the Broken Heart
I met someone. Everything about our relationship is unconventional and foreign to me — from living on different continents (so, literally foreign) to the circumstances under which it ended. Spoiler alert? Sorry, this story doesn't have a happy ending — at least not a classic rom com happy ... read more
I can do hard things.
My birthday was a couple weeks ago. 34. I've spent 34 whole years on this planet, and I still don't know what the f I'm doing. In the weeks leading up my birthday and in the weeks since, it's felt like every day presents a stressful obstacle to remind me that sometimes I have to try harder at ... read more
Close Enough: The Enneagram, Therapy, and Meeting Myself for the First Time
In January I spent a week house sitting for my parents while they were out of town. I slept in their bedroom, so I used their bathroom, too. It's pretty big — big enough for me to spread all of my getting-ready stuff everywhere and make a mess that made it seem like it was my permanent residence. My ... read more
To My Unborn Nephews: Advice for Life on the Outside
Hey, guys. It's me, your Aunt Tara. You're still all-up-in-a-belly, cooking away, getting big and strong and ready for life on the outside. I've been watching you grow for months now, and every time you get bigger, I wonder who's in there. Who will you be? What will you love? How will you shine? I ... read more
