Choosing Sides

“If you are neutral in situations of injustice you have chosen the side of the oppressor.” -Desmond Tutu This goes for anything, really. When you choose to not take a side, you have chosen your side. And it is not the side of peace and harmony: it is the side you (hopefully) do not want …

No Muse

I have never had a song written about me. When my parents named me, they decided against the name Aubrey, the title of a popular song at the time. I was born with deep brown eyes, so they used to sing the Van Morrison song “Brown Eyed Girl” to me, but my eyes mellowed to …

Shame

The steady theme of 2017 for me was plug. Plug away. Plug in. Unplug. Keep on plugging. It was a year of doing the same thing, over and again. A year of unplugging from things that hindered the goals I have for me and my family. A year of doing hard things, and doing those …

Busted

When I was little, we were often in a roller coaster with only highs and lows, financially and otherwise. We went from being dirt poor, to having a nice home, brand name clothes, and back down again to being evicted with few options. Pieces in a Heart by Jetta My mother was good at shielding …

Wounded

"Let me break it down until I force the issue/you never come around/and you know we miss you. . ." Wounded, Third Eye Blind The two things that I impress on my kids, frequently, daily, maybe even multiple times daily, is to be truthful and kind. If you cannot be both of those things, then …

Living

Saturday, sandwiched between the relief of Friday, and the slowly rising anxious wait on Sunday. Or, Saturday, the day between the death of Christ, and his resurrection on Sunday. I read a post from a popular Pastor/Blogger/Author that said, in essence, Saturday is the nothing special. It's the in between. It's the middle, the mundane. …

Earn It

"you think you're not worthy/I'd have to say I agree." Ani DiFranco There are things in life that I make myself earn. A walk on the beach. A chapter read in a book. Watching a sitcom. Eating food. Drinking anything other than water. Sleeping in. Going to bed early. Naps. Sketching. Writing. Years ago I …

Tribute

champion: a militant advocate or defender One of my champions died last month. One of the first to help convince me that there is nothing wrong with me, that my normal is normal, and that there is no flaw in me. He was one of my heroes. A piece of the universe that accepted me, …

Manatees and Elements

When I was in elementary school, maybe third or fourth grade, my mother let me play hookie from school. It was winter, cold, and gray. She took me to see the manatees at our local springs.I love those springs. My high school best friend and I spent many summer days there, baking in the sun, …

Sunbeams Like You

Jesus don't want me for a sunbeamSunbeams are never made like me.-The Vaselines, sung in my head by Kurt CobainI think I must be part plant. Because when it is morning time, and the sun is out, I blossom. My limbs stretch and my mind awakens, and all is right with the world.I used to think …