She's My People: On Dolly and the Dreams That Don't Give Up
I am from East Tennessee. Which means Dolly Parton is not just an icon to me — she is my people. I grew up going to Dollywood. I have followed her story my whole life. And when Hurricane Helene flooded my hometown, she showed up. This is what she has taught me about roots, dreams, and the light of a clear blue morning.
I Don't Always Feel Like a Warrior
I was diagnosed with endometriosis in December 2017 after emergency surgery for a ruptured cyst. But the truth is I had been suffering for fifteen years before that. This is the story of what the years since have looked like: a second surgery, IVF that didn't happen, a specialist at UVA, and the ongoing work of living inside a body you cannot see. And why I do not always feel like a warrior.
What If the Good Thing Happens
I am an Enneagram 6. Which means I have thought about every possible way this could go wrong. Not occasionally — constantly, reflexively, before the idea has even fully formed. Running Anam Cara Clay Goods has made me see my 6ness more keenly than almost anything else in my life. And then a friend asked me a question I wasn't ready for: but what if the good thing happens instead?