For the birds
Two brown thrashers built a nest in the camelia outside the sunroom window. For the past few weeks, as I sat at my desk, I watched them...
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- May 7
- 2 min
44
Ramón’s 37th birthday fell on a Saturday, so we got to spend the entire day together. I told him we could do whatever he wanted. His...
- May 3
- 4 min
Woe to the child (birthday edition)
You know that ol’ medieval European saying, "Woe to the child who tastes salty from a kiss on the brow, for he is cursed and soon will...
- Apr 14
- 3 min
37th Heaven
I turn 37 on April 26. On the surface, 37 doesn’t sound like a particularly significant age. It’s approaching “I’m almost 40” territory...
- Apr 7
- 2 min
My grief shoes
Flat feet and hospital floors don’t mesh. When I moved into the hospital after Ramón’s cardiac arrest in spring of 2020, my flat feet...
- Apr 2
- 3 min
Is that my phone in your pocket?
On what we didn’t know would be our last wedding anniversary, my late husband, Ramón, and I went out to dinner before heading to a comedy...
- Mar 24
- 6 min
Did Ashton Kutcher Get Punk'd?
"I wish I could give Ashton Kutcher an update," I sometimes think. I wanted him to know when I started performing improv. And when I got...
- Mar 19
- 1 min
Elevate
"Which do you prefer: the beach or the mountains?" "Oh, I'm definitely a beach person," I answered with aplomb, despite having never been...
- Mar 10
- 3 min
Mental hodgepodge
You know how Jeopardy! has a “Hodgepodge” category? This post might be similar. Blogpodge? Sometimes I sit down to write with a specific...
![Pause for Joy [a rejected essay]](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/031aef_d95e04c9ea454a6cacb181d79c4a7959~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_333,h_250,fp_0.50_0.50,q_90,enc_auto/031aef_d95e04c9ea454a6cacb181d79c4a7959~mv2.jpg)
- Mar 2
- 3 min
Pause for Joy [a rejected essay]
I submitted an essay to a publication on Tuesday. Today, two days later, I received the rejection email. (So quick!) Although it didn't...
- Mar 1
- 1 min
Join the Inspiration Parade!
Today is the first day of Creativity March! You're probably thinking, "What is Creativity March?" I'll tell you. Creativity March was...
- Feb 22
- 4 min
The Solar Saga: Reflecting on my goals for the year
Remember how I set the intentions to be more Simple + Deliberate this year? If not, you’re already caught up to speed. Since it’s nearing...
- Feb 16
- 3 min
Don't put the pity in serendipity (a grief no-no)
When you’ve lost a loved one, certain dates are etched in your mind. The big milestones are impossible to forget, but other, less...
- Feb 10
- 3 min
Me vs. Mind
My mind has always been my archnemesis. Right now we’re pretty civil, but that hasn’t always been the case. I remember sleepless...
- Feb 4
- 3 min
On the right track
This is one of my favorite photos from 2022, taken in November. Yes, it’s a selfie, but this was a moment I wanted to capture. I felt so...
- Jan 26
- 3 min
Give paws for thought
Meditation gets a bad rap sometimes. People view it as being too woo-woo or out there, shutting down at the mere mention of words like...
- Jan 20
- 2 min
A semiperturbed post about a jack-in-the-box
Let me start off by saying I wrote the first draft of this post yesterday afternoon. As I worked on what I’m sure would have been a very...
![Rain, rain, you can stay [a while]](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/031aef_75850fcb691c4703beb974b05aa32ea9~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_333,h_250,fp_0.50_0.50,q_90,enc_auto/031aef_75850fcb691c4703beb974b05aa32ea9~mv2.jpg)
- Jan 12
- 3 min
Rain, rain, you can stay [a while]
Nothing quite brings me to life like the feeling before a thunderstorm — as the wind picks up and electricity builds in the air. I've...
- Jan 7
- 4 min
Happy/Sad New Year!
We’re almost a week into the new year, and I’m ready for a do-over. In some ways, I fulfilled my intention to be simple and deliberate. I...
- Dec 30, 2022
- 3 min
Simple + Deliberate
I get totally jazzed about the start of a new year, and I don’t care who knows it. Does that mean I’ll actually stay up until the clock...
My name is Drew Dotson, and my life has been anything but perfect, yet it's still perfectly beautiful. After growing up with a genetic disease, cystic fibrosis, I was blessed to meet an amazing man who loved me without bounds. Then he died.
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