Our Own Piles of Leaves | Poem + Photos
Meanwhile, the leaves fall like so many stories
each one sighing through the air with its own
weight and momentum
settling into the piles that layer our lives.
Category: Reflections on Life
How To Be A Rebel
My inner rebel disappeared when we returned from our adventures overseas. I want her back. This week, I got to work figuring out how to be a rebel–and feel free–again.
Sure, I’d land on a glacier.
It takes guts to leap from a picture on a vision board to the actual moment in unfamiliar territory. But life is more fun when you have grand plans, especially if they include big adventure.
I THINK I can, I THINK I can
If the little blue engine can make it over the mountain, so can I–even if free-time and the sea seem like distant memories.
Live the cliche
You never know when miniature disasters or major catastrophes will change the landscape of your life forever. I’ve been thinking a lot about life landscapes this week, as we got word that a past river adventure buddy passed away unexpectedly and another friend lost his wife. It’s so cliche to say, isn’t […]
Neither Bought Nor Bartered
More than presents or promises, the stars and the moon. More than magical unicorn ponies and lawn gnomes in red hats. More than visions of sugarplums, or seascapes swaddled in sunshine. That’s how much we love you, Talon, and all of our friends and family, too. — May the New Year […]
The falls are still scary
“I’ll always take care of you,” I whispered to my sleeping son. And as I tiptoed out of the room, I thought to myself, I just hope you’ll always let me. Talon had just finished a massive crying jag after his first big scare. Our glider rocking chair tumbled over accidentally, […]
Living Luxuriously in the Creases
“I had plenty of time when my daughter was a baby,” my friend tells me. “It was just lost in the transitions.” She means the transitions between eating and sleeping between dishes and laundry between what was and what is. Motherhood means dwelling within these transitions. Residing in the […]
Meet Talon Randall Roberts
Talon Randall Roberts reached into the world with a hand wide open, ready to catch his parents’ hearts. Our little dude arrived on August 14th at 12:44 pm, weighing in at 6.9 lbs and 19.5 inches long after a 12-hour labor at the Missoula Birth Center. Although his passport won’t show […]
Beauty Has a Bite – Walking Into Nettles
Sometimes you walk through the wildflowers and straight into stinging nettles. I did it this weekend. I never looked down at the path below, focusing instead on the creek ahead. My inner thighs tingled for hours, pinpricks reminding me that beauty has a bite. Rob tells me that maybe I […]
Burning Down the Box
I want to burn the box. What box, you wonder? Our new house? Well, yes, some days. But I’m actually referring to the box that many middle-class Americans live within. The 9-to-5, drive-a-sedan, own-a-home box that beckons us to join the masses that do the same. We’ve been back in the […]
Transitions Suck
Yesterday we sent our lack of responsibility up in flames. After almost a month back in Missoula, we awoke too early yet again with our brains swimming in a sea of “should haves” and “need tos”. We seem to be constantly spinning these days, whether its from trying to find […]
From Sailor to Stunned
Two months ago I woke up every morning to the sound of large fish splashing against the hull of a sailboat, took morning swims in the nude and read books against the backdrop of coconut trees and sandy shores. For some reason, I decided I didn’t like that any more. […]
Melding Back Into Missoula
Transitions can be exciting or scary, slow or abrupt. But rarely are they comfortable. As Rob and I transition back into “real life” on land here in Missoula, Montana, we are attempting to accept the discomfort that comes with change. Our life is full of unknowns right now: where will […]
A Blood Red March Moon
The moon is my journal and my scrapbook, the keeper of my secrets. She silently, serenely observes the moments of my life, a sentinel and supporter during the passage of time. It gives me comfort and a feeling of rightness each month to look up and find her. To mark […]
Dreams of Grandpa on an Overnight Train from Bangkok
My grandpa loved trains. And by ‘love,’ I mean a borderline obsession. He grew up in Connecticut, raised by a florist and a Congregational minister in a pedigreed line that dated back to the original founders of New England, and of America. Grandpa became the sixth Congregational minister in that […]
Peeing on a Stick
I always thought I’d pee on the stick in my own familiar bathroom, in my own comfortable home, at just the right moment. I pictured a sleepy weekend morning, rolling out of our cozy, king-size bed and pulling the pregnancy test out of a drawer where I’d cleverly stowed it […]
My Own Alone Space
I’m on a bus. Alone. The seat beside me is empty, save for a sandwich, a bottle of water, and my Kindle. It feels empty without Rob beside me, his long legs askew and his hand on my thigh. It also feels undeniably spacious. And that’s the theme I’m exploring […]
Farewell, Tonga
Dear Tonga, It’s been a fabulous five months. You really pulled out all of the stops for our stay here, from pretty fish and sandy beaches to dance parties and band performances. We particularly loved living on a sailboat in Vava’u’s flat, calm waters (nicknamed “lolo,” or oil, in Tongan). […]
2013 – One Incredible Year in Review
6,000 nautical miles 26 tropical islands 8 countries 7 sailboats 6 months living on the sea 3 months living in Tonga 2 careers put on hold 2 big backpacks 1 incredible year In some ways, it feels like 2013 was the longest year in ages. Probably because a lot happened. […]
Parent For One Week
So, what do you really need to be a parent for a week? Turns out you need a lot less when you’re in Tonga, a tropical island-nation in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Hell, kids don’t even need shoes in Tonga. I discovered this within the first hour of […]
Entering A Waking Dream
We have yet another new home. Her name is Waking Dream, a 42-foot Cooper monohull owned by Ben and Lisa Newton here in Vava’u. They sailed her from Oakland, California and spent three years cruising before deciding to stay in Tonga. Now that they live on Fetoko Island and are […]
Watermelon Bellies
Sometimes, I think about what it would be like to swim until I can’t go any further. To hold my breath underwater until I get past the fear that I’ll run out of air. I think about running as fast as I can without worrying about pitfalls and holes. About […]
You are all with us.
We just changed the clocks back again. Every time we gain another hour, I feel a tangible stretch in my connection back home. Our next time change — in just a couple of weeks — will span an entire 25 hours. We’ll lose a whole day as we cross the […]
A Treatise on Slacker-dom
It’s a luxury to be totally irresponsible. I’m not taking it for granted, either. For someone like me who was a workaholic and a (slight) control freak during my academic and professional careers, it’s totally novel to just sit back and do nothing for a change. Sure, I’ve always been […]