09/ 01/ 2014
In August, I moved into a new apartment with a friend from graduate school named Lauren. We love the space–it’s bright, has a dishwasher and 2 enormous bedrooms. What a NYC dream, right? I was just beginning to feel settled in, when I came home one Sunday afternoon to discover that we’d been robbed.
I’ve never been burglarized before, and it was hard to believe at first. Since moving here, I hadn’t felt like my home was ever at risk. But alas, it had happened, and I had to deal with the aftermath.
One personal attribute that I am most grateful for is my ability to stay calm in a crisis. I sprang into action pretty quickly, and within 4 hours, 6 different police officers had questioned me; another officer dusted for finger prints; my good friend Jordan arranged for her husband to come over; and a locksmith came and changed the locks. The next day, I was on the phone with the insurance company (I highly recommend getting renters insurance no matter where you live), and my claim was processed quickly. I called the police to follow up, and also convinced my landlord to install a window gate over the fire escape to deter future intruders. It was certainly stressful to deal with all of this, but surprisingly, everything went fairly smoothly.
08/ 23/ 2014
Two weeks ago, I adopted an angel of a cat named Harlow Rose at a local nonprofit shelter called Animal Haven. She’s puuurfect (sorry… couldn’t resist)! Thought I’d share some photos from her first couple of weeks in her new home with you.
Harlow’s first photo!
08/ 05/ 2014
I experienced my first heartbreak when I was 16. My boyfriend — whom I loved very much at the time — broke up with me, right before he graduated from high school. I was devastated. Like many teenagers, I didn’t really know how to process my emotions. I remember crying a lot, and feeling very confused. I spent the whole of that summer trying to uncover what I had done wrong. I replayed conversations in my head, seeking answers, but finding none. It was the most pain I’d felt in my life, and it was hard to recover.
Years later — I just turned 29 — I’ve learned that heartache comes in numerous forms, and that it’s never easy. It’s not something you willingly welcome; pain becomes an ever-present nag, longing for your undivided attention. We have all experienced hurt. We have all struggled. We all identify with pain. It’s a commonality, something we can each relate to, uniting us (perhaps that’s the silver lining…).
07/ 04/ 2014
This past month, I noticed a common thread of fear. The idea of “facing fear” seemed to be everywhere, in the book I was reading, in conversations with friends, in sermons and in films. When the universe sends the same message over and over again, it’s hard to ignore.
At first, I started to think about my own fears, which include both personal and more irrational ones:
It’s interesting how unique fears are. What frightens me may seem laughable to others, but they’re definitely real, and shouldn’t be devalued. We’re taught from a young age to embrace fear, to face it, fight it; sometimes, I’m just tired of confronting fear. It’s definitely easier to quit than to keep going.
