Wild & Rooted

March 28, 2026

Transforming Bedtime Fear into Magical Moments

I was running on five hours of sleep. The kind where your eyes burn a little and everything feels just slightly too loud.The kind where even small things feel like too much. I had taught all day, my students were wild. Then, came home and immediately went into mom-mode. And then—of course—monsters. Not metaphorical ones.The…
March 20, 2026

My Unexpected Fantasy Era

I used to be so sure of who I was. Not in a deep, existential way—just in the small, everyday preferences that feel fixed. The kinds of things you don’t question because they’ve always been true. I wasn’t a fantasy person. I liked things grounded in reality. Stories that felt possible. Relatable. Familiar. I would’ve…
March 8, 2026

Navigating Nonlinear Divorce: A Journey of Self-Rediscovery

The author reflects on the complex journey of contemplating divorce, especially with children involved, while dealing with a partner exhibiting narcissistic and alcoholic behaviors. Emphasizing personal growth, self-rediscovery, and establishing boundaries, they acknowledge the challenge of navigating timelines in life and advocate for prioritizing one’s own well-being amidst uncertainty.
February 28, 2026

Sometimes One Phrase Wrecks Your Plans

Several weeks ago we talked about divorce mutually. I was excited, I was happy. He was going to do this peacefully. Thank god. But I think he saw I was ok with it. I think he was hoping for chaos and pain. I was calm. I was hopeful. So he threw out, “ok I’m going…
February 10, 2026

The Weight I Carry

My boys think I’m stronger than daddy— stronger in arms, stronger in mind, stronger in the way I hold the day together like thread through unraveling cloth. But they do not see the invisible weight I carry— the late-night thoughts, the silent calculations, the way my shoulders ache from lifting what has no shape. They…
February 6, 2026

I Don’t Want to be the Engine Anymore

Discover the silent erosion in your relationships: When compromise masks deeper needs, and you become the unseen engine of endless effort.
February 4, 2026

Releasing What I Didn’t Know I Was Holding

For several weeks, I have just felt a tightness in my neck. To the point it almost became unbearable. A few nights ago, I put my neck massager on and almost immediately found the knot. I let the massager do its thing, felt a pop, and suddenly I could almost hear better in my left…
January 18, 2026

I’m Still Here…Just Processing

Things have not gone according to plan, or at least the plan I created in my head. I wanted to file on my birthday and serve in the days following. However, that was the same week I went back to work. My nervous system became overwhelmed. I couldn’t file. I couldn’t even think about having…
January 9, 2026

Slow is Still Forward

I was certain I was going to file. I had reached that place — the place where your mind feels resolved, your heart feels quiet, and you think, this is it. I’m ready. And then my birthday came. And the waves came with it. More than anything in the days prior, I had been steady.…
January 4, 2026

Self-abandonment Disguised as Virtue

There is a particular kind of goodness women are taught. It looks like patience. It sounds like forgiveness. It wears the soft voice of “understanding” and the quiet smile of “it’s okay.” It is praised. It is rewarded. It is often called strength. But underneath the gold star language lives something much darker: Self-abandonment. We…