Photo by Thirdman on Pexels.com I've been in and out of therapy as an adult. Not because something catastrophic happened to me. Not because I had a single defining trauma. But because growing up as a sib left marks I didn't fully understand until I was well into adulthood — and some of them I'm… Continue reading Was It Stress — Or Was It Something More?
My dad's sister Penny had limited speech. Most people couldn't understand much of what she said. But there was one phrase she had down cold — one phrase that was perfectly clear every single time. "I know you." It didn't matter if she'd just met you or known you for decades. Penny greeted everyone the… Continue reading When Penny Said “I Know You”
Photo by Anna Tarazevich on Pexels.com There's a version of the sibling experience that doesn't get talked about enough. Not the general "it was complicated growing up" version. The one where your sibling had significant behavioral challenges — meltdowns, aggression, self-injury — or serious medical needs that meant hospitalizations, crisis calls, and a household that… Continue reading When Your Sibling’s Needs Are High, Your Mental Health Needs Are Too
Brain fog. Trouble concentrating. Feeling like you're constantly a half-step behind in conversations. Exhausted after social situations that didn't used to drain you. If you're a woman of a certain age, you know exactly what I just described. Perimenopause. Obviously. Or maybe ADHD — because apparently half of us are just now figuring out we've… Continue reading What I Kept Blaming on Perimenopause (And Why That’s Not an Accident)
Photo by Magda Ehlers on Pexels.com I have been traveling internationally for over twenty years. I know how to navigate airports. I know how to pack light. I know how to move through a busy terminal with my bags and not miss a beat. So when a taxi driver in Koh Samui, Thailand loaded my… Continue reading The Luggage Cart I Never Used — And What It Taught Me About Asking for Help
