Ever feel like you're surrounded by people... and at the same time...

All alone?

Like your days are crammed with communication - texts, calls, emails, DMs - and yet, no one's really listening? 

Yeah.

Same.

The world's increasingly connected; but, somehow, we're drifting further and further apart. And you know what?

It’s dangerous.

Let’s start at the beginning. 

Yours.

Let’s go all the way back to the day you were born.

And then 40 weeks further (give or take).

Recently, a friend of mine remarked that she wasn't feeling like herself. I've heard that comment before, but this time it struck me as odd. I understand feeling "out of sorts" or "under the weather" or "down in the dumps." But I can't really comprehend not feeling like me. Unless I was given a chance to feel like Jane Austen (when she was completely and perfectly and incandescently happy). In that case, I might consider making the switch. For a day or two.

What about you? Do you feel like yourself? How so? Why not?

Or more pointedly...

Who do you think you are, anyway?

There are two catastrophic storms battering our neighborhoods and nation.

One is wreaking havoc with snow/sleet/subzero temperatures... and the other is using deadly force in a political firestorm.

A 37-year-old woman was tragically killed in Minneapolis yesterday.

And the lives of others there will never be the same again.

It’s the first night of Chanukah.

Christmas is days away.

And yet, the world doesn’t feel very merry or bright or full of light.

It feels dark and heavy and heartbreaking right now.

The holiday season has begun… and folks are scrambling to pack suitcases, fill refrigerators, prep for the annual Turkey Trot and place DraftKings bets for Thursday night football.

Maybe you’re one of those tender souls. The ones who went to church because they needed some answers. A soft place to land. Some long-elusive peace. Or the ones who went to make their momma happy. (God bless you.)

In case you haven’t noticed yet:

America the beautiful… isn’t.

(It’s not great again either, in my opinion.)

It’s getting uglier, scarier, darker and more dangerous by the day.

In the aftermath of another school shooting, I’m struggling to craft a single coherent sentence. And really, what is there to say? Sometimes – truly – there are no words.

Only anguish…

What’s going on???

I know, I know. A lot of bad, dark, scary stuff.

But lift your gaze a little higher…

Look up, child.

There’s something stirring.

How do we make sense of the senseless?

Sometimes… like now… we simply can’t.

I could write volumes about the “whys” and “hows” of the deadly flash flood in Texas but really, that isn’t the point.

Wars and rumors of wars.

Heat waves.

Hate crimes.

ICE raids.

When I was in college, my friend Melissa washed my feet. It was one of the most unexpected and strangely lovely things that’s ever happened to me.

I was studying journalism (with minors in psychology, film, and frozen yogurt) and while I had plenty of reading assignments to keep me busy, I always circled back to my favorite book. Which also happens to be the best-seller of all time. (According to HuffPost. So it must be true.)

My dad turned 83 last week… but we didn’t gather to celebrate his birthday. Instead, we gathered for his funeral.

I’m home now.

It’s quiet.

And I am becoming reacquainted with grief.

December can be manic.

And depressing.

It’s just as Dickens described… the best of times and the worst of times.

People celebrating and people suffering.

It’s nearly Election Day in America. And while I’m usually pretty optimistic… (IMHO) our current options don’t exactly inspire confidence.

Yes, there’s a fresh face… and I’m genuinely delighted by that. I’m just not convinced she’s the answer to what ails us.

There’s another storm brewing in the Gulf of Mexico.

Right on the heels of Helene…

Ohhh God.

So many storms battering our neighborhoods and the nations.

I think there should be a four-way stop at the intersection of politics and religion.

In order to move forward, everyone in every lane needs to come to a full and complete stop, look left and right (double-check those blind spots) and proceed with caution…

Otherwise there’s bound to be a crash.

Remember?

(Imagine you do.)

And I invite you to find some solace here.

Peace.

… If that has eluded you.