I used to cope fairly well with rejection, as it seemed part of the process of becoming a writer. But fifteen years into trying very seriously to learn the craft, an MFA, and multiple publications later, I’m finding rejection harder and harder to deal with. It’s hard because each piece…

How the Writing Life has Changed and Not Changed — Recently I picked up Annie Dillard’s The Writing Life and noticed particularly the section in which she encourages us would-be writers to “aim for the chopping block.” It’s an instructive passage if you have time for it: she recounts her struggle learning to chop wood, including the way the neighbors…

Happiness is a by-product, not an end goal — My husband likes to remind me that “feeling follows action.” He says this whenever I’m despairing of my ability to write my novel or increase my run time or eat right or whatever it is I’m despairing of that week. What he means, among other things, is that I’ll feel…

We women just think they’re better at picking up our nonverbal cues. — In 2005 SNL did a skit with Tom Brady whose main takeaway was that women don’t find creepy behaviors creepy if they come from a hot guy, but only if they come from someone who’s less attractive. It’s an idea that seems to have taken root in our culture: it’s…

I have a not-so-secret love affair with pop music. I find a lot of wisdom in music made for the everyman. And when it comes to marriage and relationships, I often find myself thinking of these lines from Post Malone’s “Better Now”: “Woulda gave you anything/woulda gave you everything.” It’s…

Emotional intelligence is a key soft skill that we often, as a society, neglect to focus on instilling in children. It’s one of those skills that’s taken for granted and is most noticeable in adults when it’s lacking, but it’s easiest to build at a very young age. If you…

You don’t have to choose between the two. — We recently (literally five days before the shutdown order) moved into our first home with our toddler, and I want to share a little about how I planned our new spaces to accommodate my 2-year-old, her inevitable messes, our lifestyle, and my personal desire to live in a beautiful space…

It’s a rare thing, but occasionally someone in my life has dropped a sentence (usually casually) that has upended my mind, made me look at a situation differently, and stuck with me for a long time. …

I’ve had a fear of flying ever since I was seventeen, went across the country to college, and got on my first flight back home. It turns out I actually have Generalized Anxiety Disorder, but flights are a moment of particularly bad stress and fear. I would spend the entire…