An original poem for you this Wednesday, as well as information on upcoming events. To access and subscribe for more regular writing posts, visit my Substack blog: https://prayerfulkitchen.substack.com/ The Knapsack The anxiety never was mine.It belonged to the world at largeTidily stuffed in a knapsackI thought I must carry. Dutifully, I bore it on my…
Category: The Life You Choose
Not Liking the Same Things
Something strange occurred early on in one of my adult friendships, resulting in a considerable shift in my perspective and understanding of relationships. I learned that you do not have to like the same things as those closest to you. That may sound obvious, but hearing it for the first time lifted a veil from…
Fighting Potential
I hate the word “potential.” Teachers, adults, mentors, and peers have told me, “You have such potential!” for as long as I can remember. As a child, I proudly wore it as if it were another gold metallic sticker the teachers pasted to our chests on days when we were “really good.” Exceptional. That’s another…
Fire Fast
This week, a reel appeared on my For You Page (FYP) on Instagram. In it, Gary Vynerchuk answered an audience member’s question about how to know if the person you’re hiring is actually good versus how they appear on an application. His response: “I’ve got really good hiring advice: learn to fire fast.” Vynerchyck explains…
Learning Not to Forgive My Younger Self
I would go back and do things differently. If I could advise my younger self, I would tell her to avoid some things or choose a different path. My younger self didn’t know any better. We should be gracious with our younger selves and forgive them their bad or impetuous decisions. I’m working on forgiving…
Without Being Angry
I have no pithy or poignant start to this reflection. I tried to manufacture one but they all felt empty and forced. How to begin an essay that lets the world know I’ve gotten a divorce? No matter how I begin, once “divorce” appears on the screen, there won’t be attention for much else. Among…
Listening To What Our Bodies Have to Tell Us: A Lesson From My Shoulder
I have a bad shoulder. I never broke it or injured it in any way. I don’t have a torn rotator cuff or labrum, and never had to have surgery on it. You might say, in a way that this is all a self-inflicted injury. Since my freshman year in college, my right shoulder has…
The Life You Choose Summary
This is a matrix for making life decisions that I’ve been working on for seven years. I lead workshops and retreats to share it with others, sometimes for organizations and church groups but sometimes I host my own events. My upcoming workshop on April 22 is filled for in-person participants but there is still room…
Don’t “Should” on Yourself!: The Life You Should Have, The Life You Choose series
My friend Jim had the kind of smile you could warm yourself by. The wrinkles around his eyes testified to the years he spent cultivating joy and expressing it openly. He had an effortless peace to him that put everyone at ease, a good trait since he was an Episcopal priest. When I knew him,…
I can’t wear that!The Life You Choose, Introduction
A granddaughter goes shopping with her grandmother and finds a cute jacket in the junior’s section of the department store. The granddaughter loves the color on her grandmother and knows the grandmother is small enough to fit into the jacket. But the grandmother takes one look at the style and says, “I can’t wear that!”…
Prayerful Kitchen 