It has been far too long since I began the Grief Series, and denial is probably a big part of that! And by “probably,” I mean “definitely.” In January, my maternal grandfather passed away. Although our extended family has largely stayed connected through its matriarchs, this came as a major blow to us all. Dente (one of those weird nicknames given to him by a beloved granddaughter – cough – that just stuck over the years), had been in and out of rehab centers after a stroke last July. When the call came that he was gone, it wasn’t a surprise, but it  ...

Depth Perception premiered at the Atlanta Fringe Festival June 7-10, 2018, winning the Audience Choice Award for ensemble show. CONGRATULATIONS to the amazing cast and crew!

Presented at the Critical Juncture 2017: The Role of Art at the Art@Work Program by Alexandra C. Pauley. Originally presented at a 2016 Bleux Stockings Society safe space show in Atlanta for the theme, “Beauty.” Warning: Graphic Images Below   I have always been beautiful. Growing up, I was thin even though I ate like a racehorse. I managed to get out of braces before high school. I played the lead in many school and community plays and was a soloist in chorus. I was a cheerleader, a dancer… Do you hate me yet? Of course, I  ...

In case you haven’t heard of the “Spoon Theory” before (and even if you have), please take the time to read Christine Miserandino’s account of how she began to discuss living with chronic illness in terms of having utensils. In essence, the Spoon Theory is a metaphor that sets up health like a bank account (to use another analogy). For most people, sleep and food act like daily direct deposits into this health bank account, so that you can draw out energy as you need it. Proper sleep and diet = an ever-refilling health  ...

I actually happened upon the S.W. Basics line entirely by accident. It was one of those afternoons where I walked into Target with about three things on my “need” list and found myself, 45 minutes later, still wandering around with an over-full basket and wondering if I should just give up and get a cart. And there I was, turning back toward the beauty department where they have an entire section labeled “Plant.” Most of the products there, it seemed to me, didn’t even have a plant listed as the first product. However,  ...