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...
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- 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 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...
- 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...
- 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...
- Nov 25, 2022
- 3 min
A flight of imagination
I have a complicated relationship with airplanes. I was once headed to NYC for a work trip and had an awful asthma attack. I was gasping...
- Oct 20, 2022
- 2 min
27 months
"Today's date is the 20th," the poll worker announced this morning as I completed paperwork to vote in Georgia's (very important)...
- Sep 12, 2022
- 1 min
Stories of Grief: Drew Dotson
After losing Ramón, I began connecting with other widows on Instagram. (See? Social media has some benefits!) I stumbled upon the Forced...
- Aug 16, 2022
- 2 min
One step at a time
“Here,” an ICU nurse said as she handed me Ramón’s Fitbit. He’d just been situated in the ICU after his cardiac arrest. While they were...
- Jul 27, 2022
- 1 min
Role reversal
EXTRA! EXTRA! I recently wrote a guest post for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Here's where to find it: Role Reversal: When Someone With...
- Jul 1, 2022
- 2 min
A joyful heart
When I sit down to write something grief related, I occasionally feel a twinge of worry. I’m concerned that by continuing to document my...
- Jun 7, 2022
- 1 min
Down here on earth
I cut my left hand this morning. It was nothing serious, but it warranted the use of antiseptic spray. As I got the bottle out of the...
- Mar 21, 2022
- 3 min
A little birdie
I approached the window just in time to see half of my favorite tree topple to the ground. I stood there, mouth agape in disbelief, as I...
- Dec 8, 2021
- 2 min
A decade later and I'm still dancing
Ten years ago today, Ramón came to an improv show and was apparently smitten enough to send a friend request on Facebook. I accepted it...
- Aug 10, 2021
- 4 min
A nice ring to it
As the one-year anniversary of Ramón’s death approached, I went to a jeweler to get my engagement and wedding rings resized — an idea I’d...
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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