My colleague's military family knows when they're leaving – her daughter could make the most of her last band competition. But when someone keeps leaving without going anywhere, when every good day might be the last good day but you won't know until later, when you're taking it one day at a time with no shared tomorrow—you're not building anymore. You're just accumulating artifacts for a future museum of memories you'll need to reframe.
Mental Health Journey
Game Over: What Zelda Taught Me About Learning Curves at Forty
Kids die in video games a hundred times and laugh. Adults see one 'Game Over' screen and think we're stupid. Sick with a cold and struggling with Zelda's complicated controller, I realized I hadn't challenged myself mentally in years. Maybe growth requires being terrible at something first, even when you're forty and can't remember which button makes Link jump.
Anchored at Sunrise: Why Some Routines Are Non-Negotiable
Eight weeks after submitting my manuscript, facing rejections and a complete rebrand of my book, I'm discovering that everyone wants flexibility - my principal, the publishing world, life itself. But I won't skip my sunrise ritual. Because flexibility without foundation isn't resilience; it's just falling.
When the Power Goes Out
My car wouldn't start at the pier, the school had no power, and I faced twenty-five sixth graders in a dark classroom with no lesson plan. But sometimes restoration comes in unexpected ways – through jumper cables from someone who loves us, through teaching children to find peace in uncertainty, through learning that even in the dark, we can still find our own light.
The Mania September Demands: When Routine Becomes Your Lifeline
My brain woke me at 3am with a mental inventory of everything I needed before students arrived. This is September's paradox for educators with mood disorders: the start of school requires hypomania while you're trying to maintain stability. When my carefully constructed accommodations fell apart, I remembered where my real anchor lies.
The Last Day of Summer: Preparing to Teach with Mental Illness in the Open
Today was the last day of summer, and it didn't sneak up on me. Despite a packed day ahead, I positioned myself at Fort Monroe to welcome the dawn of my last official day of summer vacation. As I prepare to return to teaching, I'm carrying a different kind of fear: Since I've come out publicly about my mental illness, will there be pushback? I readily own my ADHD because I can model accommodations for my students. But will I ever feel safe admitting I have bipolar disorder? Sometimes the very things we're most afraid to reveal become the bridges that help others feel less alone.
The Ripple Effect of Coming Out: When Vulnerability Becomes a Lighthouse
Two raw, relatable statements arrived in my text messages this weekend that slowed me to a halt: 'I need to be reminded that my grief is valid' and 'I need to know that I can have a future beyond this season.' What I thought would make me a spectacle—being open about my bipolar disorder—was actually making me a resource. This week showed me the unexpected ripple effect of choosing vulnerability over hiding, and how our greatest fears can become our most powerful gifts.
Teaching Students to Be Mental Health Advocates: From Darkness to Dawn
When my sixth-grader called herself a mental health advocate, I knew we were onto something important. Here's how educators can inspire students to champion mental wellness.
Chasing Sunrises: Lessons in Resilience Through Daily Rituals
Sixty sunrises in as many days taught me about resilience and renewal. Here's how a daily sunrise photography ritual became my mental health anchor during recovery.
Taming a Temper in Therapy and Accepting My Bipolar Diagnosis
After decades of trying to control my temper through prayer alone, therapy finally gave me the tools to manage bipolar rage. Here's how mental health treatment changed everything.
Writer's Growth 