DelightStruck

 "Jackasses come in all sizes and genders," she said to me over the phone, as I described my afternoon. Yes, but sometimes my inner Pollyanna forgets, and I'm caught off guard and left rather pissed.  That's exactly where I found myself on a lackluster Friday. Cornered by a jackass hell bent on putting me in my place with as many demeaning words as he could muster up.  Deep breath. After I let the anger go and a deep desire for a comfort sweet, I prayed for grace, even in this, and pondered why do some individuals so easily lean into their inner jackass and just let it fly routinely?  A horrible childhood? Parents who didn't parent and say knock that shit off early on? Maybe they thrive on dominance? Maybe preconceived opinions or prejudices come into play? Possibly overcompensation for deep-rooted insecurities?  I settled on fear.  The surge of power in demeaning someone all leads back to fear. And fear comes from within. It motivates people to do the stra...

As a writer, I adore words. I always have, even as a little girl. They're like old friends to me. My 2019 word of the year is conquer, along with two supporting words - contemplate and celebrate. The three together may seem random and odd, but to me they all go hand in hand with the growth I have in mind for this year. 2018 was a year full of hard things. No worse than any other people's hard things, but still hard things. We moved, a new job for Coach Man, new schools for the hooligans, navigating a new high deductible insurance plan that does not cover insulin for the type 1 diabetic in the family (#insulin4all - but we'll chat that in another blog, because oh do I have some things to say), a health discovery for one of the kiddos and a major medical issue for Coach Man right before Christmas. It was definitely a year that kept us on our toes, but also a year filled with joy as we tackled the hurdles head on and with purpose. Well, we are a football family, so tack...