sonder n. the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own—populated with their own ambitions, friends, routines, worries and inherited craziness—an epic story that continues invisibly around you like an anthill sprawling deep underground, with elaborate passageways to thousands of other lives that you’ll never know existed, … Continue reading
Well, today the Wise family said hello to a new bed and goodbye to two of The Baby’s teeth. A few months ago, we started the laborious process of getting a SleepSafe bed approved through The Baby’s insurance because his crib had become unsafe. He was able to stand up in it and when he … Continue reading
I do not usually live life on the edge. I’m not interested in sky diving or wrestling an alligator. I don’t like to stare into the face of death; I prefer to keep my eyes tightly shut. Except for one weird thing. It started one cold morning in my early 20s when I was on … Continue reading
I grew up in West Texas- land of wide-open spaces, sky high teen pregnancy rates, and a colorblind racial ideology that masks racism instead of confronting it. In colorblind ideology, it is impolite to talk about someone’s race. I remember hearing a story about a friend who was trying to tell her son which store … Continue reading
“You going on a picnic?” the Kroger employee asked me as I threw multiple pre-made sandwiches into my basket. “No,” I laughed and then told her that I was going down to a bus station in Downtown Dallas to meet immigrants on their way to family and friends after being separated by Immigration and Customs … Continue reading
The first asylee I ever met was a man from Eritrea. We’ll call him Ben. Ben had flown to Central America and come into the US across the Mexican border. He claimed asylum when he got here. I met him when he’d already been here about two years waiting on a judge to hear his … Continue reading
{Before inciting a literal mommy war, let me say that I do not care if your children call you mommy. If tiny hands reach for you and wail “Mommy!” as you remove the peanut from their nose, fine. If you refer to your own mother as mommy, even if you are 50, fine. You do … Continue reading
I used to be fun. Fun, like silly and laughy. Kind of an entertainer. I don’t think I’m that fun currently. That’s a hard statement for me to write , actually, because I feel like a large part of my identity has hinged on being happy and funny and joyful. In the last several months, … Continue reading
A long time ago, I posted about the Enneagram, a personality typing system, on welderbeth’s facebook page with a teaser that I would blog about my type. Well, I never did and I haven’t blogged in six weeks. I guess having an interview and starting a job in the span of about three days will do that … Continue reading
Hey there good white people- We need to chat. But first, a story. You might know that I volunteer with an organization called Faith in Texas, which is a “multi-racial, multi-faith movement developing civic leadership in faith communities for economic and racial justice.” They had a press conference today at Robert E. Lee park in Dallas. … Continue reading
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