I’m pretty sure you know this, but I am no thrill seeker. You will not find me jumping out of an airplane or off a bridge with a cord strapped to my ankle. Which is why the last place you’d expect to find me is on the back of a horse named Mud traipsing around…
Blog
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Most people will never write a book
READ MORE: Most people will never write a bookIt’s true. Most people will not only never write a book, they can think of 47,000 things they’d rather do. Honestly? People barely read them, let alone write them. But you are not most people. You (likely) love to read. And, if you found your way to me, some part of you, perhaps the quietest,…
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He said I wasn’t “girlfriend material”
READ MORE: He said I wasn’t “girlfriend material”Did I ever tell you how much I have sold on Craigslist? A LOT of things, including but not limited to: –Five synthetic plants (the man sniffed each one of them before buying them) –All my old CDs –A dinette set –Not one, but TWO cars It always gave me a warm neighborhoody feeling to…
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Impostors wanted
READ MORE: Impostors wantedHey — In 1989, my mother gave me a glitter-encrusted t-shirt that said: “I’m a writer!” (She gave my sister one that said, “I’m PMSing.”) “You’re always saying you don’t think you’re a real writer,” my mom said, “but you are.” I appreciated the sentiment. But I never wore the t-shirt. Telling the world that…
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You don’t need more time. You need focused time.
READ MORE: You don’t need more time. You need focused time.I don’t know about you, but I never, ever in my life wrote a paper ahead of time. I wrote it when it was due. Why would you spend six weeks writing a paper that you know you can write in six hours? Our best work is a lot like us: It doesn’t get up…
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Could you use more attention? (answer: YES)
READ MORE: Could you use more attention? (answer: YES)Who couldn’t use a little more attention? Your dog. Your kid. That table teeming with junk mail. And you. You could use a bit more attention, too. I don’t care if you’re an introvert, extrovert, a Libra, a Pisces moon, ENFJ-whatever. Attention is air, and water, and light. And we all thrive with just the…
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So glad I didn’t live in the 1400s
READ MORE: So glad I didn’t live in the 1400sI just finished a book called A Brief History of Misogyny by Jack Holland. You know, a real lighthearted read. It was fantastic, actually, and gave a clear, if painful, context for the very deep roots of misogyny, which has been embedded in our culture, our psyche, and our lives for longer than anyone can…
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What makes you a “real” anything?
READ MORE: What makes you a “real” anything?If you and I met at a party in the very early aughts, I would have told you with glee that I was a copywriter at a wig company because, one, I was, and two, it was fun to say it, to put it in front of you like a gag gift so that you…
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Why don’t we go around the table?
READ MORE: Why don’t we go around the table?I went to dinner last night with strangers. That might sound like a nightmare to you. Or not. But given that nights out have been so incredibly rare, I was beside myself excited. It was hosted by my friend Dorie Clark, who’s impressive in every way you can think of (bestselling author many times over,…
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“So what is it you do again?” (Cue panic attack)
READ MORE: “So what is it you do again?” (Cue panic attack)A woman (we’ll call her Debbie) told me this story the other day. Debbie was meeting a new contact, the wife of a friend, for coffee. She cozied up in a chair with her latte. The sun leaned through the window, the espresso machine burbled and whirred. Then the other woman asked the most natural…
