Molly Booker, First Day of Grade 25, Masters Fine Art in Creative Writing, Chatham UniversityI’m starting my fourth master’s degree and yet, somehow, this feels like my first one. For decades, I’ve done school using my work ethic, my mind, perfectionism, and people pleasing. I’m really good at it. But this time, I don’t want

Last night, Kelly and I did the let’s go to bed dance.We’ve both been a mess this week: congestion, hot/cold swings, restless legs, perimenopausal everything. Sleep has been elusive, so we decided to try turning in together, like civilized adults.I tucked in, closed my eyes. Kelly scrolled on her phone for a few minutes. I

I woke up this morning feeling a little better. The sinus fog is lifting. My first thought: Yay, I can finally get some shit done.The laundry. The yard. The watering. The dogs. And the list grows. There’s stuff everywhere. Purchases piling up, things I keep bringing in but not putting away. The clutter outside feels

Learning to Be Sick (and to Come Back Slowly)I got my ears pierced for the third time while Kelly and I were in the Poconos last week. Friday night happy hour special—both ears for $50. A bargain, right? Except that same night, I started to feel not just the sting of my new piercings, but

Leo and Molly….trying skateboarding for the first time in 40 years!!Someone once asked me a question that cracked my life wide open:Molly, what are you so afraid of?At the time, my answer was instant and raw:“I think about killing myself all the time.”That was my secret. My shame. My undoing. And yet, when I spoke

If Monday’s post was about the difference between being and doing, today’s post is about what happens when I forget that entirely and try to outrun life with my to-do list.Spoiler: it doesn't work.But it does make for a very vivid dream.I stayed up late watching It’s a Sin—the show about a group of boys

Enjoying a latte @TazzaDoro, PittsburghThere are days I do all the right things—feed the dogs, answer the emails, take the trash out, show up on time—and end up feeling like I’ve been emotionally hit by a leaf blower.Other days? I do the exact same things…And I feel soft. Clear. Present. Even a little delighted.Same to-do