Portland, On Hold

March 30, 2018.Reading time 3 minutes.

From Eugene, we are moving on to Portland, and as it’s only a two-hour drive, Ric leaves me to sleep in as long as I need. When I stir, around 11:00, he tells me that we are headed back to a repair shop at 2:00. The engine warning is still showing up: ” Water in […]

Pep Talk

March 12, 2018.Reading time 4 minutes.

I’ve faced worse, I told myself when the diagnosis came; I’ll get through this too. And I believe it. Whatever it takes, I am committed. That doesn’t mean that the struggle is lessened in any way. The struggle is very real. It begins with knowing self. I’ve never been one to accept anything at face value. […]

Another Piece Published

March 8, 2018.Reading time 2 minutes.

(The Story Circle Network published two of my pieces in their quarterly e-journal. The category is “True Words” and the following article plus my poem “Retirement” were both accepted. ) Dead Ends and Surprise Beginnings The emails started arriving the morning after I presented at the regional conference—invites and accolades validating my life’s passion. Here I […]

The Spirit of Wild Horses

February 12, 2018.Reading time 9 minutes.

We’ve come back to Coon’s Bluff in hopes of seeing the wild horses. The day is crystal blue, without a cloud in the sky. My heart is heavy. I woke up in the middle of the night, with the lines of a poem running through my head. Without turning on the light, I reached for […]

Art (Life) Lessons

February 11, 2018.Reading time 3 minutes.

The how-to’s of watercolour, I am discovering, are applicable to other areas of our lives. Inspired by classes I took in Texas, I have continued to try my hand at this art form. This is what I have learned so far: Begin with a plan. We used carbon paper to trace the image’s outline, although […]

Lines of Control

January 21, 2018.Reading time 2 minutes.

“Why do you always wear black; you look so much better in colours.” Then when you wear colour: “You look like your mother in that outfit. I prefer you in black.” “You’re not going to eat that, are you? A moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips.” “You know if you loved me […]

The ‘C’ Word

January 2, 2018.Reading time 5 minutes.

“I sat in the waiting room, naked from the waist up save for the hospital green awkwardly tied in front. This was a call back: not the kind you pray for after an audition. “In nine out of ten times, it’s nothing,” the voice had said over the phone. She added they wanted to do […]

Confessions From the Sickbed

December 27, 2017.Reading time 2 minutes.

Before illness, I counted days and hours, not out of drudgery – I had stretched myself beyond normal limitations. Before illness, I wore responsibility like a hero and defined by work, prioritized tasks above well-being. Before illness, I joked about the disabled, lounging around, living the life of leisure, usurping the system. Before illness, I […]

RV-Able: Awakening

December 18, 2017.Reading time 4 minutes.

We came away with the expectation of adventure. We freed ourselves of material anchors and set sail into the unknown with openness, excitement, and a modicum of healthy trepidation. I knew we would encounter new landscapes, experience different foods and cultures, but I did not anticipate how travel would effect my experience of self. It […]

Heights of Aspiration

December 14, 2017.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Oh to soar above the clouds, for just one day… free-floating, empowered… what perspective would flight bring? The illusion of civilization? The fragility of our walls? And yet we aspire to ascend… no regard for the fall.. (In response to The Daily Post photo prompt: ascend )

Having a Why

(This is found poem, previously posted on OneWoman’s Quest II)

Over It!

One day it’s so mild that I don’t bother with a coat, the next we wake up to snow on the ground. The plants pushing up through the soil seem a little more patient than me – as if they are humouring nature’s fickleness. I’m ready for clear change. A pair of finches just flew […]

Present Distance

I’ve lived the fog of distance –life’s highway a series of hillsdestination without promise Have learned that acceptance gains perspective,that climates change, and hope sustains,and that in the stillness dreams renew. Now I travel quieter paths, appreciatespace, have surrendered to a slower pace –certain that this too will change. (image my own)