The Fisherman and His Wife part 1

            Once upon a time, an old fisherman, Fraco, and his wife lived in a tiny shack on the edge of the ocean. Each day, the old fisherman would walk down to the beach. Working with his net and trusted old fishing rod, he would spend all day waist-deep in the tide catching fish. Whenever he brought a fish home, his wife would fry it up in their single lopsided frying pan, and they would eat their dinner together, sharing their single fork between them. When the fisherman caught some extra, he would sell them in the town a few miles away and buy other food, like thick bread and some twisty carrots. On days when he didn’t catch any fish, they went to be with empty stomachs and hopes for a better day tomorrow. Life was simple, and though they didn’t have much, what they had was enough for them.

A Christmas Sweater

I've recently undergone a faith transition out of the LDS (Mormon) church. While some things are LDS specific, I hope this helps anyone who is going through a rough time spiritually. It's the story that I wish I told my family, but even though they're supportive and understanding, I didn't work up the courage to tell them without the distancing power of the internet

The Holes Inside

What if there was a person whose love was like a cancer? An emotional vampire whose only way to survive was to kill the person they most cared about?

The Importance of Being Angry

When I was graduated high school, my parents presented me with a tiny green pocket version of "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff for Graduates." I read through it all in a hour (it is a small book) and several times again over the following weeks and months. It had a lot of good pieces of advice in there. But as years have passed and I lost my copy in moving, I can only remember piece of advice because it resonated with me so much at the time.

The Happiness Equation

     On Sunday, I went on a hike with my husband, daughter, and niece. It was a little bit overcast, and as we ascended the mountain, we reach a low-lying cloud. The trail was relatively quiet, the forest was thick with trees and greenery and with the cloud mist all around, it looked like an enchanted forest full of magic and possibility. It's the kind of beautiful scenery that makes the Olympic peninsula good for hikes.
     I was miserable.