About

I adore writing and learning. On this blog I post essays, poems, and songs. Offscreen I write novels and kids’ stories.

In all of my writing, I explore my very deepest passion—the inner life.

Dabbling in philosophy, psychology, and secular spirituality, I also write about:

• learning to relate better to my kids, my partner, and others

• healing from fundamentalist religion and spiritual abuse

• learning what it means to be neurodivergent, and embracing my love of quietness

• discovering the possibilities of self-kindness, self-advocacy, and self-respect

• finding my voice and my courage in my writing

• studying rationality, cognitive science, and other sciences

• practicing mindfulness and reality acceptance…

…which leads me to my blog title. It’s from one of my “learning poems”:

So be a watcher on the rock,
not flailing in the swash,
drowning when I try to swim.
Sit still, apart; just watch.

Even when the current’s rough
and splashes, slaps, and stings,
watch what happens, only watch,
whatever the river brings.

— from the “S” poem in my “Alphabet Meditation Verses” sequence
(read the rest of the poem here)

The goal is that no matter what life sends my way, I can access calm by practicing mindfulness—observing the contents of my life rather than identifying with them.

I’ve learned that this involves not just detaching from my life’s contents but also connecting more deeply to myself and my experience.

I’m a native of West Virginia (US), and I feel lucky to live in these beautiful mountains.

I also enjoy trying to capture beauty with amateur photography. All photos here are my own.

I moved my blog here to Substack in February 2025, so all my posts from before then are imported from my old Wordpress blog.

I’m now also on Instagram and Facebook if you want to connect with me there.